From Crisis to Resilience: Strategic Health Industries for Health Security

Recent crises, from supply chain disruptions to geopolitical tensions, trade barriers and regional conflicts, have exposed critical vulnerabilities in the systems that underpin healthcare delivery. As governments increasingly view healthcare through the lens of national security and economic resilience, pharmaceutical manufacturing, secure supply chains, digital infrastructure, and innovation capacity have become strategic assets. Reliable access to essential medicines, medical nutrition, diagnostics, and healthcare services is no longer solely a public health objective but a prerequisite for societal stability, economic competitiveness, and crisis preparedness.

This session will explore how countries can move beyond crisis response and build long-term resilience in a more fragmented and uncertain world. Discussions will address how geopolitical shifts, including evolving trade policies, tariffs and growing competition for industrial investment, may reshape global healthcare supply chains and influence where critical medicines are researched, developed, and manufactured. Participants will examine how governments and industry can strengthen supply security without resorting to protectionism, while ensuring that essential healthcare products remain accessible and affordable.

The panel will also consider the close connection between resilience and innovation. What are the consequences if investment in pharmaceutical research and advanced manufacturing declines or shifts to other regions? How can policy frameworks support both innovation and supply security? Bringing together leaders from international organizations, academia, civil society and industry, the discussion will focus on how to create health systems that are resilient, innovative, and globally connected, while safeguarding patient access in an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment.