The Way Forward for Global Health | The Futures Summit

Why It Matters

The sharp funding decline forces a re‑evaluation of how global health initiatives are financed and delivered, accelerating the push for self‑reliance and technology‑driven solutions that could redefine pandemic preparedness worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Global health aid fell 20‑40% in 2025.
• US pivots to bilateral programs, testing domestic commitment model.
• Africa CDC leads regional health security and sovereignty agenda.
• AI and drug discovery accelerate next‑generation health delivery.
• CEPI, Wellcome Trust prioritize pandemic preparedness post‑COVID.

Pulse Analysis

The 2025 contraction in development assistance for health marks a watershed moment for the sector. Traditional multilateral donors such as the United States, United Kingdom and France reduced contributions by up to 40%, prompting a strategic pivot toward bilateral engagements. This shift aims to stimulate domestic financing and reduce reliance on external aid, but it also introduces uncertainty about coordination and scale. Policymakers now grapple with balancing national sovereignty against the collective benefits of pooled resources, a tension that reshapes budgeting, program design, and accountability across the global health ecosystem.

Amid the funding squeeze, innovation has surged as a compensatory force. Artificial intelligence is being deployed to streamline disease surveillance, optimize supply chains, and personalize treatment pathways, while advances in drug discovery—particularly platform technologies like mRNA—are shortening timelines for vaccine and therapeutic development. Organizations such as CEPI and the Wellcome Trust are channeling resources into these high‑impact areas, positioning themselves at the forefront of a new era where technology can offset financial shortfalls. The Africa CDC’s emphasis on regional sovereignty further underscores a trend toward localized research capacity and rapid response mechanisms.

The convergence of reduced aid, geopolitical volatility, and rapid technological progress creates both risk and opportunity. Stakeholders must forge resilient partnerships that blend public, private, and philanthropic capital while leveraging AI‑driven analytics to anticipate emerging threats. As the CSIS Futures Summit convenes leaders to chart a path forward, the dialogue will likely focus on sustainable financing models, scalable innovations, and coordinated governance structures that can safeguard decades of health gains. The outcome will shape how the global community confronts chronic diseases and future pandemics in an increasingly interconnected world.

Original Description

The year 2025 reshaped the global health landscape and marked a sharp departure from the remarkable achievements of the prior quarter century. Development assistance for health dropped by an estimated 20 to 40 percent globally, driven by reductions in foreign assistance from the United States, United Kingdom, France, and other high-income countries. The U.S. realignment towards bilateral rather than multilateral programming advanced a novel yet untested approach to mobilize domestic commitments and achieve country self-reliance, while Global South countries advanced their own vision for the future of health security and sovereignty. At the same time, breakthroughs in drug discovery and the promise of AI for health delivery are rapidly reshaping the realm of the possible. These changes have unfolded amidst increasing geopolitical instability and a steady rise in chronic and infectious biological threats, all of which endanger decades of progress against global health goals.

On Tuesday, April 14, from 11:00am to 12:00pm, CSIS will convene several global health leaders to discuss the way forward. J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center will moderate a conversation with Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC); and John-Arne Røttingen, CEO of the Wellcome Trust. Together they will discuss how the funding environment for global health has shifted internationally, how they are focusing their organizations’ priorities as the world moves more fully into a post-Covid moment, and what innovations they are most excited to deliver in the years ahead.

The CSIS Futures Summit is made possible through generous support from Chevron Inc. (Founding sponsor), ADM, Cisco, and the Embassy of Denmark in Washington D.C.

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