As leaders from the two nations convened at the Brazil-Portugal Summit this week, a memorandum of understanding was signed reiterating the countries’ shared commitments to universal and equitable access to health, and highlighted Unitaid as a key actor in global health.
The agreement outlines a common vision of the future in which health issues will play an increasingly central role in the well-being of the populations of their countries and in the strengthening of their national economies. They pledged to coordinate efforts so that the treatment of health issues is a factor in reinforcing relations between the two governments at the bilateral, bi-regional and international levels and renewed their commitment to health cooperation within the community of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP) for the benefit of all its members.
Notably, the so-called “Carta de Lisboa” emphasizes the centrality of the World Health Organization in dealing with multilateral health issues and the importance of enhancing the performance of organs of the global health architecture, such as Unitaid.
“Unitaid commends the leadership of Brazil and Portugal in advancing collaborative and equitable approaches to health,” said Mauricio Cysne, Senior Advisor, Unitaid. “Strong partnerships such as this one are critical to enabling Unitaid to accelerate global health responses and ensure vital tests, medicines, and other health technologies reach people everywhere they are needed.”
Brazil was one of five founding members of Unitaid in 2006 and has been a strong ally ever since. Portugal’s commitment to Unitaid began during the COVID-19 pandemic and this support has carried over in support of the 2023-2027 Strategy.
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