Health Diplomacy Alliance

Tag: World Health Assembly

  • Health Diplomacy House

    Health Diplomacy House

    The Health Diplomacy House is an informal, practical space where organizations convene sessions, hold discussions, and work on concrete health policy issues. Located in the historic Rothschild buildings, formerly the Ancien Hôpital Ophtalmologique (1874–1978), it offers a simple and functional setting for focused exchange.

    As part of the Predictable Uncertainty series, it brings together policymakers, diplomats, academia, youth, civil society, philanthropic actors, the private sector, and patient groups.

    The programme includes multiple sessions and dialogues covering One Health, antimicrobial resistance, women’s leadership, health economics, pandemic preparedness, climate and health, health financing, and global health governance and reform.

    The day will conclude with a reception, offering space for continued informal exchange among participants.

    If your organization would like to host a session or discussion, please indicate your interest at secretariat@hdalliance.org, as space is close to full capacity and the agenda will be finalized on 5 May 2026.

    Individual registration is required for each session. Participants must register separately for every session they wish to attend, as spaces are limited and allocated on a per-session basis.

    We look forward to welcoming you to the Health Diplomacy House.

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    MORNING SESSIONS

    OPENING

    8 :00AM- 9:00AM CET

    Global Health Architecture and Governance: Reflection in an Era of Predictable Uncertainty

    The opening session of the Health Diplomacy House brings participants into a focused, informal conversation on how global health is changing across governance, financing, and institutional processes. It sets the tone for subsequent partner organization sessions within the Health Diplomacy Alliance, including our strategic priorities—AMR, climate change and health, health governance, and sustainable financing—and how these connect to wider reform processes. The session is designed as a space that goes beyond standard exchanges, supporting reflection on how current shifts connect across agendas and shape future cooperation and coordination in global health.

    Special Guests:

    Hon. Kevin Bernard
    Minister of Health and Wellness of Belize
    H.E. Mencía Manso de Zúñiga
    Ambassador at Large for Global Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain
    Dr. Flavia Bustero
    GW Voices | Former WHO Assistant Director-General | Vice-Chair, Fondation Botnar | Co-Chair, Lancet Commission on GBV
    Dr. Magda Robalo
    Member of the High-Level Panel of the Accra Reset Initiative, President and co-founder of The Institute for Global Health and Development (IGHD)
    Dr. Bruce Aylward
    Coordinator of UN80 Initiative and WHO Reform | Former WHO Assistant Director – General
    Marilyne Andersen
    Director General – Geneva Science Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA)

    Facilitators:

    Katherine Urbáez
    Executive Director – Health Diplomacy Alliance
    Richard Pearshouse
    Senior Member – Advisory Committee – Health Diplomacy Alliance \ Head of the Environment and Human Rights Division – Human Rights Watch
    Registration

    9:30AM- 11:00AM CET

    What’s at Stake and What Comes Next for Global Health Reform

    This interactive session explores the future of global health reform at a critical moment for international cooperation. As numerous reform initiatives emerge, it has become increasingly challenging for stakeholders to track developments and engage meaningfully.

    The session will provide clear and accessible insights into the structural drivers behind global health reform, highlighting four key paradigm shifts shaping the future. It will also examine major milestones—from the Gavi Leap and Accra Reset to ongoing WHO-led processes—while addressing both opportunities and risks for meaningful change.

    Participants will be invited to engage, reflect, and contribute to shaping the next era of global health.

    Special Guests:

    Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari
    Advisor to the Prime Minister for Public Health Affairs, Former Minister of Public Health, Qatar
    Ebere Okerere
    Global Health Adviser at the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity
    John-Arne Røttingen
    CEO, Wellcome Trust
    Minghui Ren
    Professor, Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Peking University
    Richard Horton
    Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet

    Facilitator:

    Dr Anders Nordström
    Director, PIPDH | Former Swedish Global Health Ambassador | Former Acting DG, WHO
    Registration

    10:00AM- 11:00AM CET

    Climate Change and Respiratory Health (Fireside Chat)

    Panelists:

    This session will explore how climate change is affecting respiratory health worldwide. It will highlight the impact of rising temperatures, air pollution, and environmental changes on conditions like asthma and COPD, particularly among vulnerable populations. The session will bring together experts and policymakers to discuss prevention strategies, strengthen public health responses, and bridge the gap between research and policy.

    Dr Anders Nordström
    Director, PIPDH | Former Swedish Global Health Ambassador | Former Acting DG, WHO

    Speakers and facilitators to be announced. 

    Registration

    LUNCH SESSION

    12:30PM- 13:20 PM CET

    Plastics & Health: What we’re not talking about

    The session will explore the often-overlooked health impacts of plastics across their full lifecycle, from production to disposal, highlighting growing scientific evidence on risks linked to plastic pollution, chemicals, microplastics and nanoplastics. It will also examine how health considerations can be more effectively integrated into ongoing global negotiations for a legally binding plastics treaty. Through short lightning talks by experts from diplomacy, science, and policy, the discussion will focus on why health must sit at the centre of global plastics action and how scientific knowledge can be better communicated and translated into policy.

    Panelists:

    Miriam G. Medel Garcia
    Head, Environment Team, Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva
    World Health Organization
    Speaker to be announced soon
    Center for International Environmental Law
    Speaker to be announced soon
    Roman Lehner
    SNF SPARK Grant Holder, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern
    Carolyn Deere Birkbeck
    Executive Director, Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS), Geneva Graduate Institute
    María Alejandra GONZÁLEZ
    Global Plastics Advocacy Manager, WWF Norway

    More Speakers and facilitators to be announced. 

    Registration

    AFTERNOON SESSIONS

    13:30 PM – 14:20 PM CET

    Women at the Heart of Health Diplomacy. Heal, Lead, Seal.

    Women are at the core of health diplomacy, yet they are excluded from, or marginalized within, high-stakes health decisions, at every level from community to global. This session will convene women at different stages of leadership and from different sectors and regions, to create space for inter-generational dialogue amongst women leaders in global health. Throughout the session, participants will interrogate questions like: Where does real power sit in health negotiations, and how do women learn to navigate it? and, What would a genuinely gender-responsive health diplomacy process look like, and who has to change for it to happen? The discussion will center the real experiences of how women are excluded from, or marginalized within, high-stakes health decisions, at every level from community to global, and the specific challenges facing young women entering health diplomacy. Through honest and open conversation with one another, participants will build connections, solidarity, and mentorship across generations and sectors.

    Panelists:

    Katherine Urbáez
    Executive Director – Health Diplomacy Alliance
    Read MoreClose

    Speakers and facilitators to be announced. 

    Registration

    13:30 PM – 14:30 PM CET

    The International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Implications for Global Health Governance

    The International Court of Justice has recently issued an advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect of climate change. This opinion has prompted considerable discussion within international law and global health circles regarding its potential relevance to the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its member states. In the context of the World Health Assembly’s ongoing engagement with climate change and health, including through the 2025 Global Action Plan on Climate Change and Health, there is growing interest in understanding how the advisory opinion may inform future global health law and governance.

    Panelists:

    Katherine Urbáez
    Executive Director – Health Diplomacy Alliance
    Read MoreClose

    Speakers and facilitators to be announced. 

    Registration

    14:00 PM – 15:30 PM CET

    The Role of Journalism in Global Health Diplomacy

    This session will explore the role of journalism in Global Health Diplomacy. Specifically, we will discuss the journalistic practices of Geneva Health Files in reporting global health negotiations in Geneva at the World Trade Organization, and the World Health Organization, during the pandemic and post-pandemic years. We will tell the story of how we came to report on closed-door negotiations to provide a service to negotiators, diplomats and other stakeholders during the negotiations on the WTO TRIPS Waiver, the amendments to the International Health Regulations, and the Pandemic Agreement. We will also discuss the impact we have had, and the traction we received in response to our journalism. The session will explore the tool of independent journalism to further transparency and accountability in global health policy–making. It will also underscore the importance of having access to rigorous journalism, for all delegations for timely, impartial and accurate coverage of opaque decision-making.

    Panelists:

    Priti Patnaik
    Founder & Publisher at Geneva Health Files

    Speakers and facilitators to be announced. 

    Registration

    14:30 PM – 15:20 PM CET

    Valuing Health in Climate Action: Making the Climate–Health Nexus Work for Decision Makers

    Health is increasingly cited as a co‑benefit of climate action, yet in practice health impacts are often undervalued, inconsistently measured, or difficult for decision‑makers, particularly finance and planning ministries, to use. This weakens the case for climate action that could deliver major health gains and system resilience.

    Drawing on ECO‑CHICA, a Wellcome‑funded programme led by LSHTM in partnership with OHE, this session focuses on how economic evidence and value assessment can make health impacts visible, credible, and decision‑relevant in climate policy.

    • Where health is currently under‑represented in climate economic analysis
    • How inconsistent valuation approaches weaken cross‑government decisions
    • What decision‑makers actually need to compare climate actions on health and value
    • How aligning health and climate evidence can influence priorities and financing

    Panelists:

    Priti Patnaik
    Founder & Publisher at Geneva Health Files

    Speakers and facilitators to be announced. 

    Registration

    15:00 PM – 16:30 PM CET

    Roundtable on the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion

    This interactive session explores the future of global health reform at a critical moment for international cooperation. As numerous reform initiatives emerge, it has become increasingly challenging for stakeholders to track developments and engage meaningfully.

    The session will provide clear and accessible insights into the structural drivers behind global health reform, highlighting four key paradigm shifts shaping the future. It will also examine major milestones—from the Gavi Leap and Accra Reset to ongoing WHO-led processes—while addressing both opportunities and risks for meaningful change.

    Participants will be invited to engage, reflect, and contribute to shaping the next era of global health.

    Panelists:

    Dr Anders Nordström
    Director, PIPDH | Former Swedish Global Health Ambassador | Former Acting DG, WHO

    By Invitation Only

    Registration

    15:40 PM – 17:00 PM CET

    Advancing a Common Care Framework for Ethical Health Worker Mobility

    This session will explore how to make international health worker mobility fairer, more sustainable and more credible for all parties involved. It will introduce the Common Care Framework, a practical policy model for governing health worker mobility not simply as a matter of recruitment, but as a broader relationship that must also address integration, professional recognition, worker protection, retention, and mutual benefit between countries of origin and destination. Structured around the principles of respect, recognition and utility, the Framework aims to define what responsible and workable mobility should look like in practice for governments, employers, health workers and communities. The discussion will connect this approach to current global debates on the WHO Global Code of Practice, the WHO Support and Safeguards List, and the ILO fair recruitment framework, with a view to identifying more concrete and accountable ways of governing health worker mobility

    Panelists:

    Dr Anders Nordström
    Director, PIPDH | Former Swedish Global Health Ambassador | Former Acting DG, WHO

    Speakers and facilitators to be announced. 

    By Invitation Only

    Registration

    CLOSING SESSION

    CLOSING

    17:00PM -18:30 PM CET

    CHECK THE BOX – AMR

    The closing session of the Health Diplomacy House will focus on tracking political commitments on antimicrobial resistance, assessing the distance between declaration and implementation, and identifying the diplomatic and policy levers needed to accelerate action.

    Facilitators:

    Katherine Urbáez
    Executive Director – Health Diplomacy Alliance
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    Mattar headshot
    Dr. Caline Mattar
    Professor of Medicine & Public Health | Infectious Diseases Specialist
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    Dr. Ntuli Angyelile Kapologwe
    Director General, The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community
    Dr. Benedikt Huttner
    Unit Head of Research, Access, Stewardship and AMU Surveillance (RSA)- WHO
    Tracie Muraya
    Deputy Director – Policy & Strategy ReAct Africa
    Registration

    More Events to be announced. Stay Connected.

    Rue Rothschild 28, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
    Getting there
    🚌
    Bus (TPG)
    1 25
    Nearby stops:
    Châteaubriand & Gautier
    🚊
    Tram (TPG)
    15
    Stop:
    Butini
    🚆
    Train (CFF/SBB)
    RL1 RL3
    Stations:
    Gare Cornavin & Geneva-Sécheron
    ⛴️
    Lake boat
    M4
    Stop: Châteaubriand (Lac)
    2 min walk — scenic option
    ✈️
    From the airport
    ~20 min
    Train from Geneva Airport → Cornavin, then bus 1 or 25 to Gautier or Châteaubriand
    Good to know
    The venue is a 10-minute walk from Geneva Cornavin — the central hub for all public transport in Geneva.
    Limited parking on site. The nearest paid parking is Parking Butini, a short walk from the venue. We encourage the use of public transport in line with our sustainability commitments.
    View on Google Maps ↗

    GETTING THERE

    Program
  • Climate Change and Respiratory Health

    Climate Change and Respiratory Health

    This side event, organized by Health Diplomacy Alliance and Geneva Health Forum, and explores the growing impact of climate change on respiratory health and the increasing burden of respiratory infections worldwide.

    Rising temperatures, air pollution, and changing environmental conditions are contributing to worsening air quality, prolonged allergy seasons, and heightened vulnerability to diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

    Bringing together experts, policymakers, and practitioners, the session will examine how climate-related factors influence respiratory health; particularly among vulnerable populations; and discuss practical prevention strategies.

    The event will also focus on bridging research and policy to strengthen public health responses, promote innovation, and enhance resilience in the face of climate-driven health challenges.

    Dr. Maria Neira

    Former Director of Environment, climate change and health at WHO

    Richard PEARSHOUSE

    Head of the Environment and Human Rights Division at Human Rights Watch

    Prof. Helena Pité

    Professor of immuno-allergology
    Hospital CUF Tejo, Lisbon

    Panagiotis CHASLARIDIS

    Senior Policy Advisor
    European Federation of Asthma and Allergy Associations (EFA)

    Mariam ZAIDI

    Journalist, Independant 

    Panelists

  • The AMR–Health Security Equation: Why Diplomacy Matters for Cooperation?

    The AMR–Health Security Equation: Why Diplomacy Matters for Cooperation?

    Event Overview

    Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most urgent and complex health challenges of our time. As life-saving drugs lose effectiveness, previously treatable infections risk becoming untreatable, crossing state borders, and threatening global health security. AMR can reverse the gains of modern medicine, including surgeries, cancer therapies, and intensive care. Without decisive action, AMR could result in millions of deaths annually and impose severe economic losses that strain health systems and national economies.

    Excessive antibiotic use in agriculture also raises resistance to zoonotic diseases, indirectly impacting human health. These connections make AMR a cross-cutting issue hindering progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Because resistant pathogens move between humans, animals, and ecosystems, and with globalized trade in livestock and agriculture, AMR’s inherently transboundary nature necessitates a One Health approach-driven international cooperation.

    This event will explore why addressing AMR demands robust health diplomacy and a globally coordinated response grounded in the One Health approach. Strengthening hygiene and infection prevention, ensuring responsible antimicrobial use, improving surveillance systems, integrating into health emergency preparedness response and resilience, and accelerating investment in new diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines are essential pillars of an effective strategy. Bringing together diverse stakeholders, including policymakers, scientists, health practitioners, international organization and civil society this discussion aims to chart actionable pathways that mitigate AMR as a global health and security objective.

    Key Questions for Discussion

    • How do global frameworks—such as the Global Action Plan on AMR, the Independent Panel on Evidence for Action against AMR, and the High-Level Political Declaration on AMR—interact with the Pandemic Agreement, PABS negotiations, and the WHO Global Health and Peace Initiative?
    • How can cooperation be strengthened among key ministries, including Finance, Foreign Affairs, Health, Environment, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Commerce, Trade, and Industry?
    • What role does coordination between security, humanitarian, and health sectors play in reducing AMR in fragile and conflict-affected settings?
    • How does AMR cross state borders and impact national security and foreign policy? What are the implications for integrated policies, financing, governance, and strategic planning?

    Objectives

    • Explore how AMR undermines global health security, including its impact on infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response efforts.
    • Contribute to discussions on how geopolitical tensions, conflicts, and increased military spending influence global health action and AMR response.
    • Examine the role of health diplomacy in sustaining political momentum and accountability for AMR commitments.
    • Analyze the impact of shifting global health financing on AMR prevention and mitigation efforts.
    • Explore effective advocacy strategies to position AMR as a global health security issue, including engagement with youth.

    Key themes and discussion topics

    • Health Security nexus and AMR
    • Health Diplomacy in AMR
    • Policy integration
    • Financing AMR
    • Collaborative AMR Governance

    Panelists

    Professor Dame Sally Davies

    UK Special Envoy on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

    Katherine Urbáez

    Founder & Executive Director, Health Diplomacy Alliance

    Sr. José Renán De León Cáceres

    Executive Secretary at SE-COMISCA

    More Speakers to be Announced.

    Moderator

    Kate Warren

    Executive Vice President, Devex

  • Uncertainty That is Predictable: Diplomacy and Power Shifts

    Uncertainty That is Predictable: Diplomacy and Power Shifts

    This online panel, hosted by the Health Diplomacy Alliance, explores how shifting geopolitical dynamics in 2026 are shaping global health governance and diplomacy. Bringing together expert perspectives, the discussion examines the intersection of international relations, conflict, and economic uncertainty with health decision-making. It aims to provide policymakers and practitioners with insights to navigate complex global challenges and strengthen health-focused diplomatic strategies.

    Summary

    As part of the Predictable Uncertainty series, the Health Diplomacy Alliance convened a virtual panel on 20 April 2026 to examine how geopolitical power shifts, contested multilateralism, and regional insecurity are reshaping diplomacy and the conditions under which health decisions are made. Moderated by Ahmad Mujtaba and Katherine Urbáez (Executive Director, HDA), the discussion brought together perspectives from peace and security, global health governance, and international political economy to address a central question: How should diplomacy respond when uncertainty is no longer an exception but the operating environment?  

    The discussion made one point clear that turbulence is not random. It is structured. It emerges from recognizable trends in the international system, including the diffusion of social power, the persistence of political exclusion, the weakening of multilateral institutions, and the strategic instrumentalisation of health, aid, and supply chains. What appears chaotic is, in important respects, predictable. That predictability creates both a warning and an opportunity. It warns that the erosion of solidarity, legitimacy, and institutional trust will continue to generate crisis. However, it also offers a basis for redesign in a way that if the drivers of instability are visible, then diplomatic and governance responses can be built with greater realism, resilience, and justice.

    A world defined by contested power

    A major contribution of the discussion was its insistence that global uncertainty must be understood through the lens of power. Prof. Funmi Olonisakin argued that the present moment is shaped by at least three overlapping dynamics, including the contestation between social, economic, and political power; the rebalancing of voice and agency between the “Global South” and “Global North”; and the recurrence of violent conflict in new and increasingly entrenched forms. Her analysis suggested that the international system is not merely becoming more multipolar. It is becoming more contested from below, as citizens, communities, and historically marginalized regions assert claims that existing structures have been unwilling or unable to absorb.

    This matters because instability is not generated only by rivalry among major powers. It is also generated by exclusion within states and across the global order. Prof Olonisakin warned that societies cannot be stripped of voice, opportunity, and belonging without producing recurrent violence. Her distinction between the “owners of peace” and the “beholders of peace” illuminated a fundamental normative and policy challenge, peacebuilding and diplomacy are still too often structured around armed actors and external stakeholders, rather than the communities that endure conflict and bear primary responsibility for sustaining recovery. 

    For a health diplomacy audience, this intervention has immediate implications. If exclusion is a driver of instability, then health cannot be treated solely as a technical sector downstream from politics. It becomes part of the political settlement itself, a site of legitimacy, public trust, social protection, and inclusion. 

    The multilateral order is under strain, but nostalgia is not a strategy

    Prof. Ole Petter Ottersen placed the discussion squarely within the crisis of global health governance. He described the current system as the one under severe pressure, deepening inequities, the targeting of health systems in conflict, erosion of the rules-based order, and the weakening of institutions that once underpinned international cooperation. Further argued that the challenge is not only one of institutional performance, but one of geopolitical disruption. Global health is being reshaped by the same forces that are destabilizing diplomacy more broadly. One of the most important insights from his intervention was that defending multilateralism does not mean defending the old order uncritically. Prof Ottersen explicitly argued against nostalgia. In his view, the task is to redesign global health architecture on fairer terms. He outlined a reform agenda centered on five priorities including resisting the dismantling of core global health infrastructure; avoiding a simplistic return to past arrangements; building a more just and representative system; advancing regionalization; and shifting from reactive crisis response to long-term capacity building, especially in the “Global South”. He added that debt relief and governance frameworks better aligned with One Health are necessary components of any viable reform path.  

    This is a consequential argument because it suggests that the future of international health cooperation will depend less on abstract commitments to “global solidarity” and more on whether institutions can redistribute authority, support regional capability, and align financing with national and regional priorities rather than donor convenience. 

     

    Regionalisation is becoming a necessity, not a preference

    A strong point of convergence across the discussion was the growing importance of regions. Prof Ottersen pointed to institutions such as Africa CDC as evidence that regional bodies can assume functions that were once concentrated at the global level. In his view, stronger regional ownership, greater self-reliance, and local capacity for areas such as vaccine production are no longer optional ambitions. They are practical responses to a world in which multilateral guarantees can no longer be assumed.  

    At the same time, Prof Olonisakin offered a necessary corrective that regionalization should not be romanticized. She warned that in security terms, some regional institutions remain weak, fragmented, or unable to contain conflict, citing the persistence of violence in parts of Africa and the harmful role of competing middle-power interventions. Her point was that the effectiveness of regionalism depends on whether broader political architectures are repaired and made more inclusive. Without that repair, fragmentation at the regional level may expand before any meaningful consolidation becomes possible.  

    Health must be treated as a strategic domain of foreign policy

    One of the clearest takeaways from the event was that health diplomacy must move beyond the language of soft power and technical cooperation. When Katherine Urbáez asked how health can be positioned more effectively within foreign policy, Prof Ottersen argued that policymakers must be persuaded of two interlocking realities, first, that health equity and gender equality are linked to peace; and second, that human health is inseparable from climate, animal health, and epidemic risk through a One Health lens. In other words, health is not peripheral to strategic policy. It is central to stability.  

    That insight was reinforced from another angle by Prof Olonisakin, who argued that health can also serve as an entry point for peace. She noted that humanitarian and health responses can open space for ceasefires, temporary de-escalation, and common ground, precisely because they address needs shared across conflict lines. Her observation points to a neglected diplomatic instrument: health not only as an object of governance, but as a channel for trust-building in otherwise polarized environments.  

    Great-power rivalry now runs through global health

    When Prof. Ja Ian Chong joined the discussion, he brought the “elephant in the room” into sharper focus, the strategic competition between the United States and China. His intervention accentuated that global health can no longer be analyzed as if it sits outside geopolitical rivalry. Whether in vaccines, supply chains, financing, or narrative contestation, health is now one of the arenas through which states seek leverage and advantage. As he put it, “strategies for advancing health must account for agendas that may need to be worked with, worked around, or actively countered”.  

    This was one of the event’s most hardheaded insights. Prof Chong cautioned against assuming that major actors are operating in good faith around global public goods. He stressed that health and related forms of cooperation are increasingly being reframed through national-interest narratives, with publics encouraged to view them skeptically. That means health diplomacy must become more politically literate. It must anticipate narrative warfare, not only material disruption.  

    He recommended that, in a contested environment, resilience depends on diversification, redundancy, and reduced dependence on narrow chokepoints. Speaking in the context of supply chains and health security, he argued for alternative routes, broader sourcing, and issue-based cooperation that can withstand major-power rivalry. When asked how to prepare for predictable uncertainty in one word, Chong’s answer was “redundancy,” while Ottersen’s was “scenario planning.” Together, those answers amounted to a doctrine of preparedness for a fractured era.  

    Financing, ownership, and the politics of reform

    Another important thread concerned the role of donors and philanthropic actors. Prof Ottersen noted that fragmented financing can force countries to reshape national health strategies around external preferences rather than domestic priorities. This weakens coherence and makes durable system-building more difficult. His intervention pointed toward a structural critique that development assistance and philanthropy are not neutral supplements to governance. They shape incentives, authority, and fragmentation. The reform challenge, then, is not merely to secure more funding, but to ensure stronger recipient ownership over how external financing aligns with long-term system development.  

    This has obvious implications for health diplomacy. If global health governance is to become more just and effective, the question is not only who funds, but who decides, who sets priorities, and whose institutions are strengthened in the process. 

    Conclusions

    The discussion pointed to a clear strategic imperative: in a more fragmented geopolitical environment, health diplomacy must become more inclusive, more regionally anchored, and more politically realistic. 

    Redesign multilateralism to be more just, representative, and fit for today’s geopolitical realities.  

    • Empower regional health institutions to play a stronger role in preparedness, coordination, and governance.  
    • Invest in long-term national and regional health capacity instead of relying on crisis-driven emergency responses.  
    • Place leadership from countries with limited financial resources at the center of reform, not at the margins of implementation. 
    • Broaden diplomacy beyond elites by including communities, civil society, and those most affected by conflict.  
    • Use health as a practical pathway for peacebuilding, trust-building, and cooperation in divided settings.  
    • Embed health firmly within foreign policy as a strategic priority, not a secondary technical issue.  
    • Prepare for disruption through redundancy, diversified supply chains, and stronger scenario planning.  
    • Safeguard global health cooperation from zero-sum rivalry and geopolitical instrumentalization.  
    • Ensure donor and philanthropic support strengthens country-led systems rather than deepening fragmentation. 

    Video of the Event

    Panelists

    Professor Simone Susanne Dietrich

    Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations, University of Geneva

    Professor Funmi Olonisakin

    Vice President (IES), King’s College London; Professor of Security, Leadership and Development

    Professor Ole Petter Ottersen

    Professor of Medicine, University of Oslo; Former President, Karolinska Institutet

    Professor Ja Ian Chong

    Associate Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS)

     

  • 2025 Global Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR

    2025 Global Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR

    The 2025 Intergenerational Dialogue on AMR was a key initiative in the Health Diplomacy Alliance 7-7-7 Campaign during World AMR Awareness Week that highlighted seven actions on AMR led by seven stakeholder groups through seven days in the week.  

    The dialogue built on global momentum amplified youth perspectives through findings from a pre-event survey that seeked to understand their initiatives, concerns, and solutions towards an inclusive global governance on AMR, promote cross-generational exchanges on effective solutions, foster capacity-building and partnership, especially in last-mile settings, and develop actionable recommendations to embed inclusive engagement and health diplomacy within the global instruments governing AMR response grounded in a One Health approach.

    Summary

    Welcome and Introduction

    Diana RIZZOLIO | Coordinator, Geneva Environment Network | Co-Moderator

    Diana Rizzolio, Coordinator of the Geneva Environmental Network, opened the session by conveying warm greetings and setting the stage for the dialogue. She welcomed participants, framed the significance of the exchange, and underscored the value of bringing diverse voices together. In concluding her introduction, she invited the audience to turn their attention to the next speaker and formally introduced Katherine Urbáez.

    Katherine URBÁEZ | Founder & Executive Director, Health Diplomacy Alliance | Co-Moderator

    Katherine Urbáez, Executive Director of the Health Diplomacy Alliance, offered her opening remarks by outlining the purpose and spirit of the gathering. She described the AMR Week 7-7-7 Campaign, explaining how it showcased seven core actions from seven stakeholder groups across the seven days of the week. She noted that the Health Diplomacy Alliance highlighted AMR efforts in Geneva, online, and through hybrid formats, all while prioritizing engagement with global audiences in a multilingual, cross-sectoral, and intergenerational way. She walked participants through the key initiatives of the campaign, including the display of campaign and HDA flags on the Pont du Mont Blanc; an awareness stand at Geneva’s main train station, Gare Cornavin, featuring messages and activities from multiple supporting organizations; a social media effort spotlighting contributions from diverse global actors alongside the seven key actions on AMR; and the blue illumination of the Jet d’Eau at the center of Lac Léman. She concluded by underscoring the core aim of the campaign: to involve every category of stakeholder, bridge generations, and ensure the broadest possible diversity in AMR awareness and action.

    Presentation of findings from pre-event youth survey

    Bill Whilson A. BALJON | Working Group Liason, Health Diplomacy Youth Network

    Bill Whilson A. Baljon, Working Group Liaison of the Health Diplomacy Youth Network, presented outcomes and key messages from the pre event youth survey on AMR. He outlined three clear priority areas guiding youth perspectives on AMR. He emphasized the need to strengthen education and awareness efforts, expand surveillance and data-sharing mechanisms, and regulate antibiotic use more effectively, particularly within agriculture and livestock systems. He noted that young people unmistakably want to be part of the solution, and the wide range of activities they are eager to pursue—research, awareness initiatives, international negotiations, and digital advocacy—reflects their strong drive to contribute. He highlighted that this momentum reveals substantial potential at the global level, where youth feel more genuinely included and more encouraged to participate than they do within local or national settings.

    Keynote Address: Advancing national action on AMR

    H.E. Amb. Fernando LUGRIS | Member, the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, Ambassador of Uruguay

    H.E. Amb. Fernando Lugris, Member of the Global Leaders Group on AMR and Ambassador of Uruguay, delivered the keynote address by presenting Uruguay’s stance on advancing national efforts against AMR and strengthening support for youth. He described how Uruguay marks AMR Awareness Week by convening institutions working across the issue to demonstrate ongoing progress. He affirmed that AMR remains a pressing challenge with far-reaching effects across health systems and the environment, stressing that “it is time to turn commitments into concrete actions.” He explained that Uruguay invests across multiple sectors—vaccines, pharmaceuticals, research, and veterinary sciences—to reinforce national readiness. He emphasized the value of collaboration between academia and government ministries, including partnerships with the Caribbean region, and underscored the significance of empowering young people in schools and universities. He encouraged stronger implementation of AMR action plans and noted the need for greater investment in diagnostics, innovation, and policymaking. He concluded by stressing that it is essential to ensure that future generations inherit a world safeguarded from the escalating risks posed by AMR.

    A cross-sectoral One Health discussion on key actions to prevent and mitigate AMR

    In the context of the triple planetary crisis, what key actions are needed to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR)? 

    Jacqueline ALVAREZ | Head, Chemicals and Health Branch, UN Environment Programme

    Ms Jacqueline Alvarez emphasized that very few people recognize AMR as an environmental concern or understand the reasons behind it. She framed her remarks within the context of the triple planetary crisis—climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution—explaining how rising temperatures heighten disease risks, and greater disease burdens intensify AMR. She noted that extreme weather events similarly exacerbate the issue, while shifts in soil health and biodiversity reveal the emergence and spread of resistance even when it cannot be directly observed. She underscored priority actions: strengthening governance, legislation, and regulatory frameworks; expanding knowledge and evidence through research to better understand the problem without delaying action, since resistant genes are already present in the environment; and maintaining a focus on prevention, where small steps can yield significant impact. She added that healthcare facilities pose major challenges and stressed that, for UNEP, children and youth are essential partners, as the rapid spread of information among younger generations is key to delivering the right messages.

    How do you envision that emerging professionals like you are contributing to solutions at the intersection of animal welfare and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and what are the challenges you understand are still needed in your region?

    Prothoma KALIDAHA | Chair, Standing Committee on Animal Welfare 2025-2026, International Veterinary Students’ Association

    Ms Prothoma Kalidaha explained the intrinsic link between animal welfare and AMR, noting that animals fall sick more easily when their conditions are inadequate, resulting in heavier antibiotic use. She emphasized that promoting proper welfare is already a strong step toward ensuring healthier animals. She highlighted that even as students, young people can contribute meaningfully through awareness and action, particularly in regions where antibiotics are perceived as the quickest solution, making education vital. She pointed out that research is an area where young and undergraduate students can already participate. She also acknowledged persistent challenges, including the shortage of qualified veterinarians—especially in rural areas—which leads communities to rely on less qualified and cheaper alternatives. She closed by stressing that together, young professionals can make a real impact through prevention and by strengthening One Health, which she described as the most important point.

    How inclusive are the implementation of GAP and IPEA processes in ensuring intergenerational and multisectorial representation?

    Jean Pierre NYEMAZI | Director, Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Head, Governance & Strategic Initiatives Unit, AMR Department, World Health Organization

    Dr Jean Pierre Nyemazi highlighted the significance of the independent panel and affirmed that youth have been engaged as key stakeholders in its work. He explained that AMR becomes easier to address when coordination exists across all sectors and communities. He stressed that young people are not only beneficiaries but critical actors; therefore, early-career inclusion in AMR dialogue is essential. He noted that youth must be better represented at the national level, where they are often under-included, and emphasized that efforts must continue to expand their presence. He added that youth participation is needed in implementation as well, emphasizing that at every level, young people are indispensable.

    What are the key AMR challenges and awareness efforts in the Pacific Islands, and how are last-mile actions and populations, such as in Papua New Guinea, being included in AMR solutions?

    Simeon PETER | National President 2025-2027, Papua New Guinea Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship

    Simeon Peter explained that Pacific Island countries remain under-resourced in combating AMR, particularly regarding surveillance capacity. He underscored the need for increased laboratory personnel and expanded stewardship training. He noted that a Fleming Fund country grant supported by the Australian government is helping to build laboratory and hospital capacity for surveillance data, which in turn is used to design tailored programs to confront AMR challenges. He added that governments in the region are implementing WHO recommendations to develop national AMR plans. He emphasized that regulatory challenges significantly impact pharmaceutical supply chains, with a portion of imported drugs in Papua New Guinea being substandard, and noted that these medicines are sold over the counter and sometimes even on the streets rather than through pharmacies. 

    How do you see the engagement of youth in your region as part of the current global AMR governance, how representative is their participation across sectors, and what steps can be taken to improve inclusivity? 

    Karina KHATIC | Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR

    Dr Karina Khatic affirmed that young people are increasingly receiving opportunities, platforms, and recognition as champions working on AMR. She emphasized that young researchers studying AMR require support to synthesize evidence across One Health dimensions. She stressed that youth should play a role in the implementation of global action plans and other instruments guiding AMR responses.

    How is the FAO addressing the link between food security and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through, and what can be done to enhance representative participation and collective action? 

    Dominique BURGEON | Director, Geneva Liaison Office, Food and Agriculture Organization

    Dominique Burgeon emphasized the deep connection between food security and AMR, noting that misuse in agriculture and livestock production threatens human, animal, and environmental health, and ultimately the safety of the whole supply chain. He outlined the FAO action plan on AMR, which focuses on reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use in crops, livestock, and aquaculture; promoting good farming practices; improving biosecurity; and encouraging alternatives such as vaccines and probiotics. He described FAO’s commitment to strengthening global antimicrobial surveillance through InFARM, which monitors antimicrobial use worldwide. He highlighted the RENOFARM initiative and its 5Gs—good health services, good production services, good alternatives, good connections, and good incentives—designed to help farmers enhance animal health and productivity safely and sustainably without relying on antibiotics. He noted FAO’s close collaboration with WHO, WOAH, and UNEP to align strategies and support countries implementing National Action Plans, alongside engagement with the Multistakeholder Partnership Platform to coordinate collective efforts. He emphasized representative participation and a whole-of-society approach involving farmers, veterinarians, food processors, policymakers, researchers, and communities. He added that governments are crucial for setting targets and sharing data transparently; smallholders need incentives and technical support to adopt improved practices; the private sector can invest in stewardship programs; and civil society can raise awareness and shift behaviors.

    How is antimicrobial resistance (AMR) being addressed in conflict and humanitarian settings, what key actions have been taken?

    Duha SHELLAH | Vice Chair, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) Youth Council

    Dr Duha Shellah described AMR as a daily reality in places experiencing prolonged conflict, where conditions that perpetuate resistance occur simultaneously—overcrowded shelters, damaged water and sanitation systems, shortages of essential antibiotics, and disrupted diagnostic and surveillance capacity. She detailed how the collapse of laboratory and clinical services restricts treatment options and complicates management for frontline young professionals. She noted that disrupted supply chains allow substandard and unregulated antibiotics to circulate, fueling resistance, while overcrowding accelerates infection transmission, including drug-resistant organisms, in environments with limited infection-control resources. She explained that data collection becomes fragmented, surveillance systems collapse, and access to laboratories narrows, creating a gap between the true AMR burden and what appears in national or global reports. She highlighted that youth-led networks are promoting safe antibiotic use, young researchers are contributing to community mapping and real-time recommendations, and youth volunteers are bridging health facilities and communities through triage and last-mile health education. She emphasized that experienced leaders provide strategic insight while youth mobilize on the ground, making intergenerational collaboration essential to AMR response. She concluded by stating that AMR must be integrated into emergency response plans, and that ensuring reliable access to quality-assured antibiotics and diagnostics, training frontline professionals in stewardship, strengthening surveillance capacity, and investing in youth-led efforts are critical.

    Antimicrobial stewardship is a national priority, and pharmacists play a key role in safe prescribing and guideline implementation. As a recent graduate, how would you use your understanding of stewardship to work with pharmacists and other professionals to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?

    Eleanor FONJI | Chairperson of Public Health, International Pharmaceutical Students Federation

    Eleanor Fonji emphasized the importance of informing and educating pharmacists and healthcare practitioners about how their actions influence AMR, paired with intervention training to strengthen stewardship practices. She explained that regularly updating knowledge through presentations on new developments and research is an effective educational approach. She noted that pharmacists contribute by reviewing antibiotic prescriptions in a timely manner, optimizing dosing, supporting clinicians with updated antimicrobial-therapy guidelines, and participating in case reviews and ward rounds. She stressed that stewardship is a collective responsibility in which all healthcare professionals understand the role they play in safeguarding antibiotics.

    What actions are needed in animal health to sustain global momentum on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and ensure the sector is involved in all multisectorial discussion and in the engagement  of all generations in the process?

    Javier  YUGUEROS MARCOS | Head of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Veterinary Products Department, World Organisation for Animal Health

    Javier Yugueros-Marcos explained that veterinary communities worldwide have faced around one hundred disease outbreaks in the past six months and emphasized that AMR stems from weak animal health systems, making their strengthening essential for veterinarians managing daily challenges. He described WOAH’s advocacy through bilateral engagement with Chief Veterinary Officers and regional conferences, supported by awareness campaigns. He highlighted the positive momentum within the animal-health community, noting that antimicrobial use in animals has shown a downward trend over the years. He referred to a 2024 WOAH economic study revealing that countries permitting antimicrobials as growth promoters use 45% more antimicrobials than countries that restrict such use. He emphasized that awareness, surveillance, and regulation are central to reducing AMR and noted that the youth pre-event survey aligns with these priorities. He mentioned that WOAH has created informative leaflets to translate complex UN political-declaration language into actionable steps for veterinarians. He emphasized the need to understand the planet as shared by humans and other animals, highlighting the interconnectedness and spillover potential between ecosystems. He stressed that education is a first priority to sensitize children to ecological interdependence, social responsibility, and AMR. He noted that multistakeholder coordination is essential for policy action, offering the example from WAAW where France released national antimicrobial-consumption reports for animals and humans, revealing a decline in animal use while human use rises—showing that progress in one sector does not guarantee system-wide success. He concluded by reaffirming WOAH’s commitment to helping youth establish cross-sectoral collaboration mechanisms at the national level to gain exposure and experience in addressing critical challenges.

    How can equity and access be strengthened in the design and implementation of key actions to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?

    Federica CASTELLANA | Secretary, Young World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)

    Federica Castellana emphasized that equity and access begin by placing young professionals at the center of AMR discussions. She described how the Young WFPHA working group’s AMR chapter advances awareness, advocacy, and research while convening stakeholders from different regions within the youth age group, which helps highlight diverse needs and co-create solutions. She shared an example from Djibouti, where a community-centered One Health project championed by the Italian Red Cross has enabled community members and livestock owners to lead disease surveillance. Villagers are trained to collect and share data with local health authorities using a bottom-up approach, ensuring that AMR solutions reflect local realities.

    What is the role of health diplomacy in shaping and governing a collaborative, One Health–driven response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), especially when there are other health and political priorities?

    Yasmine BAIROUK | Intern, Health and Environment, Health Diplomacy Alliance

    Yasmine Bairouk explained that health diplomacy ensures global and regional AMR commitments are translated into effective, context-adapted national policies. She emphasized that monitoring and accountability are essential to understanding the real impact of political commitments. She announced that the Health Diplomacy Alliance will launch the Click-The-Box Initiative next year to support governments and the Quadripartite in monitoring accountability around political commitments. She highlighted diplomacy as a key mechanism to strengthen budgeting and financing, mobilize non-traditional sectors, and support innovation, diagnostics, and science. She concluded by stressing that global AMR communication must remain accessible and understandable for all.

    Closing

    Ms Katherine Urbáez closed the dialogue by summarizing the discussion and highlighting the key themes explored by the panelists. She underscored the importance of addressing the triple planetary crisis, the misuse of antimicrobials, the global action plan, healthy communities, political engagement, food security, biosecurity, livestock production, conflict settings, and data collection, while noting the trend of reduced antimicrobial use in animals. She emphasized how youth remain central across each of these dimensions of the AMR equation. She concluded the event by outlining the next steps toward 2026, reaffirming the importance of continuing to engage quadripartite organizations each year during World AMR Awareness Week.

  • 156th Executive Board – World Health Organization

    156th Executive Board – World Health Organization

    The 156th session of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Board convened in Geneva from February 4 to 11, 2025, gathering representatives from Member States, senior WHO officials, and key stakeholders to address pressing global health matters, with discussions marked by a strong focus on health governance, financial sustainability, and the prioritization of key health challenges facing the global community.

    The meeting opened with significant attention to leadership and governance matters within the WHO. A central element of the governance discussions circled the Member State-led governance reform, with particular emphasis on enhancing transparency and strengthening decision-making processes. The review of the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response was highlighted as a critical step in improving WHO’s ability to respond to global health emergencies effectively. Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu was appointed as Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, following the passing of Dr. Faustine Ndugulile, while Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge was reappointed as the Regional Director for Europe, reflecting the confidence of Member States in his leadership. Dr. Ihekweazu’s interim appointment will remain in place until the formal election of a new Regional Director at the WHA78.

    A key theme was WHO’s financial health and sustainability. The EB debated the need for a flexible funding model that enables prompt responses to emerging health threats and geopolitical challenges, such as the decision of two Member States of the Americas, the United States of America and Argentina, to withdraw of the WHO. Dr. Cathrine Lofthus of Norway, Chair of the 41st Programme, Budget, and Administration Committee (PBAC), presented a decision paper that will align resolutions with the Programme Budget 2026–2027. The Board recommended that implementing requests to the Director-General—including those for WHA78—be contingent on finalizing this budget.

    This approach ensures that new initiatives are supported by clear funding strategies, where WHO will be required to assess the budgetary and operational implications of all resolutions and integrate these into the Programme Budget 2026–2027. Member States expect active consultation during prioritization, and progress will be reported to WHA78 through the PBAC.

    The Executive Board discussed and recommended several resolutions for adoption at WHA78, reflecting WHO’s commitment to addressing a wide range of global health issues. Among the most notable was the Global Action Plan on Climate Change and Health, which aims to bolster health system resilience to climate-related risks and mitigate the environmental determinants of health and acknowledges the growing impact of climate change on public health and calls for coordinated international efforts to protect vulnerable populations and strengthen emergency preparedness.

    Another important draft resolution, led by Côte d’ Ivoire, focused on skin diseases, seeking to address all skin disease conditions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, calling on the improvement of access to treatment, preventive measures, and tackling stigma and discrimination of patients, as well as improving research to combat these conditions.

    Vital discussion on the health implications of nuclear weapons and nuclear war, the proposal led by Samoa, emphasized the catastrophic humanitarian and health consequences of nuclear conflict and urged Member States to strengthen their emergency preparedness and response capacities, further reinforcing WHO’s role in raising awareness about the long-term health effects of nuclear exposure and advocating for global disarmament efforts.

    Strengthening health financing globally was another major discussed resolution, led by Nigeria, the draft calls for sustainable and equitable health financing mechanisms to support universal health coverage and primary healthcare systems; due to the pressing need to close funding gaps and mobilize domestic and international resources to achieve health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Board emphasized that robust health financing is essential to building resilient health systems capable of withstanding future health emergencies.

    The Executive Board concluded the session by reaffirming its commitment to strengthening WHO’s leadership, transparency, and financial stability; where Member States expressed a shared determination to work collaboratively at WHA78 to adopt resolutions that promote global health security, advance health equity, and bolster WHO’s capacity to serve the most vulnerable populations.

    With a clear roadmap laid out by the EB, the upcoming78th World Health Assembly scheduled to take place in Geneva from May 19 to 27,  promises to be a decisive moment in health diplomacy as Member States and many come together to tackle pressing health issues, the result of the negotiation of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Body to draft and negotiate a WHO Convention, Agreement, or other international instruments on pandemic, preparedness, and response, and the reinforcement of the role of WHO as the leading authority in international health.