Devex: Working hand in hand on global health challenges
Christos Stylianides, European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management

“…We need to … improve the way we respond [to global health emergencies]. … Ebola has been a warning for the world’s health systems, showing that global health emergencies know no borders, and do not wait for us to be ready to deal with them. Another stark lesson to be learnt from the Ebola crisis is the need for more effective coordination across sectoral, institutional, and geographic boundaries. It underlines two things about global health governance: First, the crucial need for effective alert systems at the global and regional level. … Second, the fact that nothing can substitute in the longer term for effective health care systems at the national and local levels. … My very committed colleagues in the European Commission and I are working every day to make sure that we continue [to improve our responses to health emergencies]” (12/18).