WHO to Adopt EU’s Covid-19 Digital Certification System as Basis for Global Health Certificate

The World Health Organization will use the European Union’s digital Covid-19 card as the basis for a global health certification system, according to a new partnership agreement signed by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides that it described as “historic”.

At the signing ceremony in Geneva, Tedros indicated that “the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the value of digital health solutions in facilitating access to health services,” explaining that “the Covid certificate issued by the European Union will now turn into a global public good, as a first step to establishing a network Global digital health certificates. “The network will expand to include things like digital, international routine vaccination cards,” he said.

He considered that this “will be an important part of our efforts to strengthen health systems and support our member states to better prepare for the next epidemic or pandemic.” The network can also play a critical role in humanitarian situations across borders by ensuring that people have access to their health records and credentials as they move across borders due to conflicts, the climate crisis and other emergencies.

“The aim of this certification is to help protect people from health threats, including potential future epidemics, and to facilitate global mobility,” the WHO and the European Union said in a statement.