ROME, JANUARY 29 – The first Health Working Group meeting under the Italian G20 Presidency was hosted virtually at Palazzo Chigi in Rome, on January 26th and 27th. The two-day event was attended by delegates from all G20 partners, as well as representatives from host countries, the United Nations and other international actors, all connected by videoconference.
The Italian Presidency presented the “Concept Note” that will guide the discussion and launched a new training platform for public health officers. The meeting was opened by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Giuseppe Ruocco, followed by a presentation on the Impact of Covid-19 on Health Systems by Professor Franco Locatelli, President of the national Health Services Council (Consiglio Superiore di Sanità).
Contributions from the WHO (Professor A. Buzyn) and OECD (Dr. M. Pearson) converged in the presentation of a Concept note jointly prepared by the two organizations, together with the Italian Ministry of Health.
Professor Enrico Giovannini (ASVIS – Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development) presented an analysis of the impact of Covid-19 on the SDGs in Italy.
On the second day, Prof. Gualtiero Ricciardi (Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore in Rome), chaired a session with representatives from several civil society organisations, the Italian Parliament and several G20 engagement groups, who were invited to contribute their recommendations.
Professor Silvio Brusaferro, President of the Italian National Health Institute (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ISS) launched an international Public Health Officers Training Platform that will be further illustrated in a webinar on the 10th of March 2021. (@OnuItalia)