Rome, hosted on July 24, 2023, an international meeting of the utmost importance for humanity: The 4th Summit on Food Security and Sustainable Healthcare. As in previous editions, this event organized by ECAM (European Council of Business for Africa and the Middle East) had a significant impact worldwide, but even more so this year due to the international context. An impressive panel of political and economic decision-makers, government officials, and state representatives responded to the call of Kamel Ghribi, Executive Chairman of the ECAM Council, President of GKSD Investment Holding, and Polyclinique San Donato…

The participants in the meeting emphasized the urgency of strengthening the partnership between the public and private sectors to elevate the level of traditional public services and reduce social inequalities. Key topics were discussed, with the objective of global cooperation based on sustainability and prosperity on a planetary scale, to ensure that no one is left behind.

Paul Rotelli, President of San Raffaele Hospital, urged the government to collaborate more closely with the private sector to improve the citizens’ situation. “Public-private partnerships can only work if they are based on win-win approaches for both parties (…). Private hospitals are more flexible than public hospitals, as is the case with the San Donato group,” stated the official.

“The global climate change requires worldwide collaboration. We also need an inclusive dialogue with farmers and healthcare workers,” said Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, David Moinina Sengeh.

After the cataclysm of the Coronavirus, the course is clearly set: to establish partnerships across all sectors of the economy to strengthen countries’ resilience against pandemics and thereby avoid the damages that populations have experienced firsthand. “We want to provide healthcare to all citizens and have a pharmaceutical industry that produces high-quality drugs to prevent pandemic-like situations,” argued the Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals, Khalid al Najim.

The summit’s discussions emphasized cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the Gulf States, underlining the need to pool efforts in digital connectivity, climate, renewable energies, and regional security. “I have just returned from my visit to Saudi Arabia, where their innovative energy has inspired me,” confided the EU’s Special Representative for the Persian Gulf, Luigi Di Maio. The new direction is to “build on what already exists” through a pact between the EU, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and other countries.

Italian giant Eni led the way during the 4th ECAM Summit by signing an agreement with San Donato Hospital, the Egyptian Ministry of Health, and Gksd Holding. The goal is to strengthen cooperation in the healthcare sector to implement global-scale programs.

The Minister of Health of Egypt, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, expressed, “If we want to achieve sustainable healthcare on an international scale, we must protect both people’s health and the environment.” He announced that his country is committed to “improving healthcare and medical infrastructure and opening up to millionaire investors (…). By 2050, the Cairo government aims to develop, focusing on partnerships between the public and private sectors,” the Minister declared.

The Secretary-General of the ECAM Council and former Secretary-General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ettore Sequi, believes that the solution lies in investing in people, especially the youth. “We must be remembered for our actions, not just our words (…). The most important investment we can make is in people, especially the youth. And Africa is a young continent,” said Sequi.

The Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, added that “partnership in regional cooperation is essential, through a multi-actor and solidarity-based approach.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cameroon, Lejeune Mbella Mbella, supported these views by stating that “the world created a stable international system after the Second World War, which is now in crisis and requires revision.” Africa wants to play its role in this reorientation dictated by the international context. “Agenda 2063” of the African Union is one of the levers for this shift, concluded the Cameroonian official.

Among the participants in this mega meeting, we can mention: Angelino Alfano, President of the Dan Donato Group and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy; Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati, Italian Minister for Institutional Reforms; Vahagn Khachaturian, President of Armenia; Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibeh, Prime Minister of Libya; Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of Uganda; Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana; Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council; Yerbol Karashukeyev, Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan; Sheikh Shakhbut Al Nahyan, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates; Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia; Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Prime Minister of Niger; Kashim Shettima, Prime Minister of Nigeria; Ignazio La Russa, President of the Italian Senate, and others.

Eminent personalities and members of renowned global institutions and organizations that all work for the well-being of humanity also participated in the event. The ECAM meeting has established itself as a gathering of world leaders to address global affairs. Proof of its increasing importance, the Libyan Prime Minister proposed to host the next edition in Tripoli.