On December 9, leaders of the European Union and the African Union will meet to discuss the future of EU-Africa relations. Health, until the COVID-19 outbreak, had a low profile in the two continents’ plans for a renewed partnership. COVID-19 had a sobering effect: it reminded world leaders that there can be no development, economic or human, without solid and resilient health systems. This is why, as civil society organisations and communities fighting for the right to health, we have sent a letter to EU and AU leaders urging them to incorporate health as an integral part of the joint cooperation by turning health systems strengthening into a  pillar of the renewed EU-Africa partnership.