The Minister for Health and Care, Gemma Arias-Vasquez, will depart Gibraltar tomorrow to participate in the 2025 G20 and G7 Health Summit in Geneva. This high-level international forum, convened by the World Health Organisation (WHO), brings together Ministers and Senior Officials to discuss strategies to address non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health challenges. 

Minister Arias-Vasquez will be accompanied by the Director of Public Health, Dr Helen Carter. The delegation will engage with global health leaders and policy experts on key public health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and mental health, conditions that remain among the leading causes of poor health and premature death in Gibraltar. 

The invitation to attend and speak on a panel at this summit follows Minister Arias-Vasquez’s active participation in the Global Legislators Initiative for Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health earlier this year. 

Minister Arias-Vasquez will return to Gibraltar on Friday. 

Minister Arias-Vasquez said: “I am looking forward to participating in this global summit as it is an important opportunity for Gibraltar to share our approach and to learn from international partners. The issues being discussed, from unhealthy diets to mental health, are at the core of what we are addressing through our Covenant for Health which we will be publishing later this year. On Mental Health in particular, I have been able to engage with other health leaders to share our plans for a new model of care that will deliver a single point of access for mental health service users, a model designed to simplify pathways and, importantly, place the individual at the centre of the care they are provided. Attending the summit alongside Dr Carter ensures that Gibraltar is not only represented at a political level but also technically, through our Director of Public Health.”