Since 2018, the Netherlands leads the way in the field of "Biosafety and Biosecurity" within the international Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). The Netherlands is also actively involved in the field of "Antimicrobial resistance" and "Zoonoses".
The Global Health Security Agenda was established in 2014 to advance a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats. The GHSA is an international partnership of nearly 50 countries and large international organisations (such as WHO, OIE, FAO), which jointly work against infectious diseases. The goal is to connect countries from all over the world to make new, concrete commitments, and to elevate global health security as a national leaders-level priority.
At the beginning of November 2018, the fifth Global Health Security Agenda Ministerial Meeting took place in Bali, Indonesia. The Netherlands was represented by the ministries of the Health, Welfare and Sport and Agriculture and Nature and Food Quality to jointly underline the "One Health" approach of the Netherlands in combating infectious diseases. The "One Health" approach, in which the forces in the field of health research, animal health and the environment are united combatting infectious diseases, was already presented by the Netherlands in 2016 when the third GHSA Ministerial Meeting was held in Rotterdam.
In Bali, the Dutch delegate Minister of State Sybilla Dekker announced that the Netherlands is determined in the fight against infectious diseases and that the Netherlands will take part in the GHSA Steering Group in 2019-2020. In addition, the Netherlands will be the chair of the GHSA Steering Committee for one year in 2019, and will further develop the activities of the eight GHSA focus areas. The focus areas are Biosafety and Biosecurity, Immunisation, Surveillance, Emergency Operations Centres, National Laboratory Systems, Workforce Development, Antimicrobial Resistance and Zoonotic Disease. RIVM will also play a role in this.