Release of 2024 U.S. Global Health Security Strategy

Today, Ambassador Dr. John Nkengasong — U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy (GHSD), who leads the Department’s Bureau for Global Health Security and Diplomacy — took part in a White House event officially launching the 2024 U.S. Global Health Security Strategy (GHSS). Amb. Nkengasong spoke at the event alongside U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, U.S. Coordinator for Global Health Security Dr. Stephanie Psaki, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs Loyce Pace, U.S. Agency for International Development Assistant Administrator for Global Health Dr. Atul Gawande, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Mandy Cohen, and Maj. Gen. (ret) Paul Friedrichs, Director of the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy.

Strengthening global health security is a U.S. national security priority, essential for protecting the health, lives, and economic wellbeing of Americans and people around the world. Building on the National Biodefense Strategy and National Security Memorandum-15, the 2024 GHSS outlines the United States’ approach to strengthening global health security capacities and to improving our collective ability to prevent, detect, and respond to new and emerging infectious disease threats around the world. Bilateral, regional, and global partnerships are central to this strategic approach.

GHSD is coordinating efforts across the State Department to contribute to the three core goals of the Strategy:

Strengthen global health security capacities through bilateral partnerships: Through GHSD, the State Department works through diplomatic channels to strengthen prevention and preparedness to global healthy security threats, including HIV/AIDS. GHSD leverages and helps coordinate U.S. government activities supporting health security strengthening in collaboration with 50 countries and regional entities. The State Department is also working with other countries and stakeholders to catalyze health security progress in an additional 50 countries. Through its 55 bilateral relationships through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the State Department is working with partners to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Catalyze political commitment, financing, and leadership to achieve health security: Through the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, the State Department and partners around the world launched the Foreign Ministry Channel for Global Health Security in March 2024, to focus diplomatic attention and action on critical global health security priorities. The Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy leads the Department of State’s efforts at the Pandemic Fund, in coordination with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Since its launch in September 2022, the Pandemic Fund has provided $338 million in grants to 37 countries, and an additional $500 million will be provided this year to support national and regional priorities of low- and middle-income countries surveillance, laboratory capacity, workforce, One Health, risk communication, risk management, and community engagement for pandemic preparedness. Amb. Nkengasong represents the U.S. government on Pandemic Fund’s Governing Board and co-chairs the strategic plan working group. The Department also supports the United States’ efforts towards concluding a Pandemic Accord and amended International Health Regulations by the May 2024 deadline.
Increase linkages between health security and complementary programs to maximize impact: The Bureau is focused on strengthening the linkages across global health programs, including between the U.S. PEPFAR and other global health security programs. PEPFAR reflects the U.S. government’s bipartisan leadership in ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, increasing our impact to move pandemics from crisis toward control. Longstanding PEPFAR investments in strengthening health systems, including directly supporting 327,000 health workers in fiscal year 2023 alone, have also enabled partner countries to respond quickly and effectively to COVID-19, Ebola, H1N1 influenza, tuberculosis, and other health threats.

For more information, please see the U.S. Global Health Security Strategy website. For further information, please contact ghsd_publicaffairs@state.gov.

U.S. Department of State

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