The New Seoul Declaration on the Global Health Security Agenda

We, the Minsters and Heads of Delegation of Member States of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), assembled in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, November 28-30, 2022 to advance global health security, are hereby:

• • Reaffirming GHSA’s vision of a world safe and secure from global health threats posed by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic;

• • Recognizing an update on progress to the second phase of GHSA (2019-2023) target and commitments to achieve the target;

• • Commending Member States and our partners from around the world for achieving significant advances in developing sustained country, regional and global health security capacity during the second phase of GHSA;

• • Recognizing the World Health Organization (WHO)’s leadership in supporting the states to build health security capacity and implement the International Health Regulations (2005);

• • Noting the contributions of the GHSA to the WHO’s efforts in improving monitoring and evaluation of IHR (2005) implementation in developing WHO IHR Joint External Evaluation and supporting countries to develop national plans;

• • Highlighting the importance of engagement of member states to Action Packages including new action packages for legal preparedness and sustainable financing for preparedness and response for the next pandemic

• • Emphasizing that country, regional and global level of capacity building is essential for the next pandemic preparedness and response; and

• • Acknowledging that significant work remains to fully achieve and sustain global health security.

Therefore, we will continue our work to strengthen global health security, and declare our support for extending the GHSA until 2030 to accelerate the implementation of the IHR (2005).

In this regard, we support the proposal of the Republic of Korea to establish an international coalition office, the Global Health Security Coordinating Office in Seoul from 2023 for coordinating substantial regional and global health security preparedness issue after COVID-19.

Furthermore, we request that the Global Health Security Agenda Steering Group develop, in consultation with all interested Member States, advisors, and affiliated organizations, a detailed proposal describing the scope of work, specific aims, and any recommended improvements in GHSA processes and working methods of the next phase of the initiative to be presented at the Global Health Security Agenda ministerial meeting to be held in 2024.