SPAIN’S PM Pedro Sanchez has slammed world leaders for turning their backs on global health – as he launched a €315 million mega-plan to stop future pandemics in their tracks.
Speaking at a high-level UN summit in Sevilla last month, Sanchez announced the Global Health Action Initiative, a bold pledge to pour hundreds of millions into international health systems between 2025 and 2027.
And in a fiery speech, he hit out at countries pulling the plug on health funding, warning that their inaction could cost over 25 million lives in the next 15 years.
“We’re forgetting the lesson of COVID,” he said. “No matter how high you build your borders, viruses don’t queue at passport control.”
The Spanish leader’s plan includes:
- €130 million for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance
- €60 million for the World Health Organization
- A boosted contribution to the Global Fund fighting AIDS, malaria and TB
Sanchez also took aim at conspiracy theorists and anti-science voices, accusing them of ‘spreading hoaxes’ in a ‘world with a fragile memory’.
“If we don’t act now,” he warned, “we’re not just being immoral – we’re putting our own citizens at risk.”
He was joined on stage by WHO boss Tedros Adhanom, GAVI chief Dr Sania Nishtar, and Global Fund head Peter Sands, all backing Spain’s call for a new era of international cooperation.
The new initiative sets out four main goals: building stronger health systems, smarter spending, universal access to care, and better coordination across countries.
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