“One of the foremost gatherings in global health.”
Berlin, 15 October 2019 – The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, joins German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker as a patron of the World Health Summit.
“WHO is delighted to strengthen its collaboration with the World Health Summit, which is now one of the foremost gatherings in global health,” said Tedros.
The World Health Summit brings together heads of state, ministers from different sectors, Nobel prize winners, leading CEOs, academics, foundations, and civil society to increase the diversity of contributors that successful global health action requires, the WHO leader said. “I’m proud, together with Chancellor Merkel, President Macron, and President Juncker, to be its patron.”
On Tuesday, October 29, Dr. Tedros will speak at the World Health Summit about the future of international health policy in a keynote session titled “Health Is a Political Choice.”
He’ll be joined at this year’s World Health Summit by health ministers from around the world, top scientists, and leading members of civil society. Over three days, 2,500 participants from 100 countries will discuss ways to improve health around the world.
One area of focus of this year’s summit is the impact of climate change on health. Other topics in the program include improving health systems in Africa and worldwide, the fight against antibiotic resistance, digital health, and the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Speakers include Epsy Campbell Barr, Vice President of Costa Rica, Jens Spahn, Federal Minister of Health, Germany, Jane Ruth Aceng, Minister of Health, Uganda, Diane Gashumba, Minister of Health, Rwanda, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Minister of Health, Ghana, and Luiz Henrique Mandetta, Minister of Health, Brazil.
The others are Jeremy Farrar, Director, Wellcome Trust, Heyo Kroemer, CEO, Charité, Peter Sands, Executive Director, Global Fund, Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General, Intl. Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Peter Albiez, CEO, Pfizer Germany and Sabine Gabrysch, Professor for Climate Change and Health, Charité & PIK.
The rest are Randolph Nesse, Founding Director, Center for Evolution and Medicine, ASU, Bernd Montag, President and CEO, Siemens Healthineers, Seth Berkley, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and Pavan Sukhdev, President, WWF.
The World Health Summit was founded 2009 at Charité and is one of the leading forums for global health.