A proposal for a framework convention on global health

This article searches for solutions to the most perplexing problems in global health - problems so important that they affect the fate of millions of people, with economic, political, and security ramifications for the world's population. No State, acting alone, can insulate itself from major health hazards. It is for this reason that safeguarding the world's population requires cooperation and global governance. What is truly needed, and what richer countries instinctively do for their own citizens, is to meet what I call 'basic survival needs.' By focusing on the major determinants of health, the international community could dramatically improve prospects for good health. A vehicle such as a Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH) could powerfully improve global health governance. Such a Framework Convention would commit States to a set of targets, both economic and logistic, and dismantle barriers to constructive engagement by the private and charitable sectors. It would stimulate creative public/private partnerships and actively engage civil society stakeholders. A FCGH could set achievable goals for global health spending; define areas of cost effective investment to meet basic survival needs; build sustainable health systems; and create incentives for scientific innovation for affordable vaccines and essential medicines.