As our world navigates shared challenges, from political conflicts and climate change to epidemics and pandemics, the call to take responsibility for the common good has become more urgent than ever. A whole range of philosophers, from Kant and Jonas to Levinas, argue that responsibility is not merely about accountability for one’s own actions afterwards. Instead, they define responsibility as an active commitment in advance to make decisions that are justifiable both to oneself and to others. Responsibility understood as such requires clarifying competencies, gathering knowledge and information and defining one’s guiding moral principles.

In this sense, the World Health Summit itself, by providing a platform for scientifically sound and highly topical discussions, presentations and panels, makes an important contribution to this year’s motto, “Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragmenting World”. Science, politics, civil society, and the private sector need to engage in dialogue across disciplinary boundaries and national borders in order to create a common basis both of knowledge and rules for responsible decisions. 

Many important decisions today can only be made together and multilaterally to achieve common goals. For this, we need shared knowledge, common rules and the courage to take on global responsibility. We need rules to guide us in conducting joint trade. We need rules to promote research and innovation and to jointly prevent crises. I am proud of our shared success in agreeing on vital rules at this year’s World Health Assembly through the Pandemic Agreement. We have taken collective responsibility – not only for the people of today, but also for future generations – to detect pandemic risks early, implement preventive measures and develop and deploy effective countermeasures in times of crisis. In the months ahead, it is essential that we continue this work persistently: ensuring that research remains free, that pathogens are rapidly and transparently shared and that innovations are fostered and made accessible to all. 

We have a prime example of cross-cutting cooperation across borders fresh in our minds: the COVID-19 vaccines were developed at lightspeed thanks to the collaborative effort of scientists and companies worldwide. They took responsible action, leading the way for the global health architecture. If we aim to build on this, we need reliable networks and a secure multilateral framework underpinned by institutions with secure and sustainable funding. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we make a joint effort to strengthen international institutions: The WHO, but also GAVI, CEPI and the Global Fund. The World Health Summit serves as an excellent platform to advance coordination among these key actors in the global health architecture.  

Germany is aware of its responsibility both for global health and for the multilateral order. Let me reassure you that we will continue to be a reliable partner in the future. 

Linguistically, the word “responsibility” contains the word “response” – the ability and willingness to provide answers and justifications for one’s actions. Forums like the World Health Summit create the basis for this. I thank you all very much for your contributions. They enable policymakers to provide answers to the challenges of our time and to make decisions that are evidence-based and beneficial to all of us.  

Allow me to offer you a warm welcome to Berlin and also online! I wish you very fruitful conversations and successful discussions at the World Health Summit! 

Image © Bundesregierung/Kugler