A significant partnership in digital health has been launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Commission for the benefit of people receiving high-quality care everywhere.
The WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN)’s initial foundation is being laid by this collaboration, according to a statement released by both organisations on Monday.
Stella Kyriakides, the commissioner for health and food safety, stated that the partnership represented a significant turning point in the digital action plan for the EU Global Health Strategy.
Kyriakides said, “By using European best practises, we contribute to digital health standards and interoperability globally, to the benefit of those most in need. It is also a powerful example of how alignment between the EU and the WHO can deliver better health for all, in the EU and across the world.
“As the directing and coordinating authority on international health work, there is no better partner than the WHO to advance the work we started at the EU. It will further develop global digital health solutions.”
The partnership, she continued, will work closely together to develop, manage, and put into place the WHO GDHCN system while utilising the substantial technical know-how in this area held by the European Commission.
She reiterated that the first step entails ensuring the ongoing reliability of the current EU digital certificates.
According to the announcement, the WHO will adopt the EU’s digital COVID-19 certification system in June 2023 in order to establish a global system that promotes international travel and protects people all over the world from present and potential health threats, such as pandemics.
The WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, emphasised that the goal of the new digital health products currently in development is to make it possible for people all over the world to receive high-quality medical care quickly and effectively.
He explained that the World Health Organisation (WHO) aims to make an open-source digital health tool available to all of its member states, guided by the values of equity, innovation, transparency, and data protection.
The statement also stated that, as a result of the agreement reached on November 30, 2022, this initiative is based on the EU and WHO Global Health Strategy on Digital Health.
In order to reinforce a strong multilateral system with the WHO at its centre and a strong EU as its bulwark, the two organisations agreed to intensify their strategic cooperation on issues of global health.
The EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate, which is connected to 80 countries and territories, has established a global standard, according to Mr. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market.
Breton emphasised that the EU certificate has helped promote international travel and tourism in addition to helping fight the pandemic.
He was pleased that the WHO would build on the privacy-protecting principles and cutting-edge technology of the EU certificate to develop a global tool against upcoming pandemics.
The statement emphasised that a crucial part of the European Union’s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic has been the use of digital COVID certificates.
It stated that in order to promote free movement within its borders, the EU quickly established interoperable COVID-19 certificates known as the “EU Digital COVID Certificate” or “EU DCC.” By utilising open-source technologies and standards, the EU DCC allowed for the integration of non-EU countries issuing certificates according to its specifications, becoming the most widely adopted solution worldwide.