The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, participated on Monday, July 17, in the Business Summit European Union – Latin America and the Caribbeanwhich is carried out within the framework of the Third EU-CELAC Summit which takes place in Brussels until July 18, with the assistance of Heads of State and Government and high authorities of the member countries of both blocs, as well as representatives of the private sector, academia and civil society.
At the high-level meeting, the highest authority of ECLAC moderated a panel entitled “Improving resilience in health” (Enhancing Health Resilience), in which attendees discussed the main drivers to encourage successful investments in the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, and medical services in order to boost regional innovation and facilitate equal access to health supplies and products.
Among the participants were Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Secretary of State for Development of La Francophonie and International Associations of France; Martin Seychell, Deputy Director General for International Associations of the European Commission; James Fitzgerald, Director of the Department of Health Systems and Services of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry from Germany, Argentina, Chile, France and Uruguay.
In his role as facilitator of the discussion, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs remarked that the industry and health services is a key sector for well-being and economic and social development, since it generates high-quality jobs with strong linkages with the rest of the economy. .
“Pharmaceutical sales in Latin America and the Caribbean doubled from USD$35 billion in 2008 to almost USD$70 billion in 2017 and are expected to double again to around USD$135 billion in 2027. This represents almost 8% of the world market,” he explained.
The senior United Nations official also recalled that the ECLAC document prepared for this EU-CELAC Summit – titled Opportunities for investment and collaboration between Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union– includes the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, and medical devices, as key areas within a list of 14 sectors with great opportunity for growth, jobs, development and cooperation between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.
In this regard, he indicated that, motivated in part by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, both regions have already focused on these sectors and have developed initiatives and an inclusive bi-regional dialogue to improve resilience in health. Proof of this is the Health Self-Sufficiency Plan adopted in September 2021 by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which was prepared by ECLAC at the request of CELAC itself.
“This CELAC Plan is a great step forward, since before it there was no integrated regional diagnosis. But several challenges remain in its implementation, including the ability to coordinate multiple actors from different countries to carry out concrete actions; guarantee the participation of the ministries of science and technology, industry and commerce, in addition to the ministries of health; and the application of cluster-based approaches for governance and coordination, including the private sector, and with clear execution units and responsibilities”, declared the Executive Secretary of ECLAC.
During his stay in Brussels, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs will hold bilateral meetings with Matthias Berninger, Vice President of Bayer; Sergio Díaz Granados, Executive President of CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; in addition to personal meetings with other high authorities attending the EU-CELAC Summit.
