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GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY INITIATIVE (GHSI) BERLIN, GERMANY – 7 December 2012 1. We, Ministers/Secretaries/Commissioner from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Commission, gathered today in Berlin to continue our work to strengthen global health security. In 2011, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our partnership and reaffirmed our commitment to the GHSI. Today we have recognized again that international cooperation is essential for the improvement of the health security of our citizens. We remain vigilant about the need to keep a clear focus on this work in the face of evolving health security threats. Human and Economic Cost of Health Emergencies 2. We thank Dr. Enis Baris of the World Bank Group for his address in support of strengthened global collaboration for health security. We recognize emergencies that affect the health of our populations can have a high human and economic cost and can create severe economic, trade, and travel disruptions. This impact was made evident in 2011 through both the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima nuclear power station in Japan and the significant outbreak of Escherichia coli in Germany. We acknowledge that these incidents have helped to inform our collective understanding of the human and economic costs associated with health emergencies. We are committed to raising awareness of the link between the consequences of public health emergencies and their impact on social and economic systems, and support the efforts of the World Bank and other relevant international organizations in this area. Finally, we recognize the importance of health systems strengthening in ensuring that threats to global public health are identified early, leading to a more effective and timely response. Dual-use Research 3. During the Pa