Stronger Together

Since 2016, Business at OECD has been calling the OECD and governments to boost their efforts in strengthening health resilience and foresight through empowering, involving, incentivizing, and deepening work on health policy. Our Stronger Together campaign, through organization of our annual health forum and promotion of case-studies from our members aims to place health as an economic imperative for our societies and place health as a key for economic resilience. We encourage companies and international organizations to engage with us on this special campaign by reaching out to our Policy Manager, Rokas Morkūnas.

2025 Latin American Regional Roundtable - Costa Rica

At the occasion of the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) Consultation in San Jose, Costa Rica, in March 2025, Business at OECD organized a Latin American roundtable on health. Health as an economic imperative is a foundational component of the Campaign event series, centered on sustainable and resilient health system, and the topic aligns closely with the core mission of BIAC‘s members, including the Costa Rican Unión Costarricense de Cámaras y Asociaciones del Sector Empresarial Privado (UCCAEP) and the Chamber of Health of Costa Rica, which contributed to the realization of this event.

Participating in the opening panel, Costa Rica's Minister of Foreign Trade Manuel Tovar Rivera and Second Vice-President and Minister of Health Dra. Mary Munive Angermüller stressed the importance of improving the performance of our health systems, by incresing health literacy, innovation and trust in the system. Working jointly with the private sector, we can increase the resilience of healthcare to withstand future shocks and by focusing on prevention and learning from best practices, for which the OECD is an ideal platform for, we can increase their sustainability.

Panel 1– Building a Resilient and Trustworthy Healthcare Ecosystem
Trust and resilience are essential for a thriving healthcare sector. This panel examined strategies to enhance transparency, foster public-private collaboration, and drive innovation. Speakers discussed policies and industry practices that strengthen confidence in healthcare institutions and promote sustainable sector growth.

Panel 2: Aligning Health and Finance: Investing in Sustainable Healthcare
This session explored the intersection of health and finance, discussing how investments in healthcare can drive economic growth, enhance resilience, and ensure sustainability. Experts from the public and private sectors shared insights on funding models, innovative financing mechanisms, and the role of businesses in strengthening healthcare systems.

Learn more about the event here

2024 Health Forum - Health as an Economic Imperative

The 6th edition of the Business at OECD (BIAC) Health Forum, titled Health as an Economic Imperative, took place on 4th December 2024. This year’s event marks the new chapter of our Stronger Together campaign and will serve as the starting point for a series of regional roundtables and annual forums to be held from 2025 onwards. The aim of these events is to sustain momentum in shaping the OECD’s Health policy agenda, positioning the private sector as a trusted partner in global health discussions, while emphasizing key messages and delivering innovative solutions.

The 2024 Health Forum reviewed the current OECD health agenda, following the 2024 OECD Health Ministerial Meeting and future OECD programme of work for health. It took stock of the current state of health and the private sector’s involvement, identifying key priorities, opportunities, and challenges. Various major topics have be addressed, including fostering economic growth and systemic resilience, including prevention, addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to build a healthier and more productive workforce, leveraging technology and artificial intelligence for sustainable health systems, as well as investing in health for fiscal efficiency.

The public and private sector can and must come together in transforming our health systems, for that reason, the 2024 Health Forum main outputs are focusing on identifying the private sector’s priorities for health resilience in the coming year, facilitating exchanges with the OECD on its strategic direction in health policy, and preparing a key highlights report to support the ongoing campaign. We believe discussing these topics would set the scene for high visibility and a cross-cutting programme of work for the health sector.

Browse Event Programe Here

Read Synthesis Report

2023 Health Forum

The 5th edition of Business at OECD (BIAC) Health Forum held on 5 October 2023 under the theme of Health as a Key for Economic Resilience, provided a platform for the public and private sector to identify their priorities, opportunities, and challenges, while exploring a cross-cutting agenda for further action by the private sector, governments, and the OECD.

With some of the most critical health challenges of our times among us, the 2023 Health Forum provided a platform to evaluate the effectiveness of both sanitary and economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. By taking stock of what worked and what did not, participants aimed to develop better guidance for managing future health crises. Ultimately, the event reinforced the idea that well-designed health policies are essential to promoting both economic growth and societal well-being.

Panel discussions highlighted the importance of data, measurement, strategic planning, and the power of prevention in strengthening health resilience. The 2023 Health Forum delved into connections between health and the environment, stressing the need for continued investment in innovation. It was a cornerstone of our health Stronger Together campaign, which called for greater health resilience and foresight. This campaign stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to strengthen global health systems in the face of future challenges.

Browse Event Programe Here Read Forum Synthesis Report

Past Health Forums

Since 2016, Business at OECD (BIAC) Health Forum has provided a platform for dialogue, enabling the industry to share its perspectives and initiatives beyond regular engagement with the OECD. This event has served as a foundational opportunity for businesses to highlight the contributions of our Health Committee members toward improving health outcomes.

Each Health Forum provided an opportunity to discuss various aspects of health policy, including the role of digital technologies and strategic partnerships in health sector, the importance of innovation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and fundamental linkages between health and environment.

With over 200 participants and more than 20 speakers each year, Health Forums have raised the awareness vis-à-vis global stakeholders and other international organizations, as to how the OECD, as a multidisciplinary organization with strong expertise in health and related areas, should consider business perspectives going forward. Our Health Forums play a vital role in shaping health policy by linking economic considerations, patients’ well-being, and the future of the health sector. They also reflect the evolution of global health priorities in response to emerging challenges