Spain: Emerging Leadership in Global Health

Just five years ago, a pandemic paralysed the world. Despite the many lessons that could have been learned and that could have led to a structural strengthening of the global health system, the year 2025 defines a critical context and the reconfiguration of the international order that conditions its evolution.

To understand the implications of all this, this document, written by Virginia Rodríguez Bartolomé, begins with a broad diagnosis of the simultaneous crises affecting multilateralism, health governance and financing mechanisms, highlighting how geopolitical polarisation, institutional fragmentation and the weakening of global commitments are jeopardising historic advances in maternal and child mortality, communicable diseases and universal health coverage.

Against this backdrop, Spain’s emerging leadership in global health is presented, based on initiatives launched in 2025. These include the approval of the Spanish Global Health Strategy, increased contributions to Gavi and the Global Fund, the return to the WHO Executive Board and the Global Health Action Initiative launched at the 4th Conference on Financing for Development held in Seville.

Finally, the challenges and opportunities of this leadership are highlighted, as well as the need to build a new international consensus to ensure the sustainability and equity of the global health system.

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