Press Release
27 October 2019 | German

World Health Summit 2019 kicks off in Berlin

German Health Minister Jens Spahn: “We want to make the European voice in global health heard.”

Berlin, Oct. 27, 2019 - The 11th World Health Summit began today, with approximately 1,300 participants from science, politics, the private sector, and civil society around the world. At the opening ceremony Sunday evening, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said: “We want to make the European voice in global health heard. The role of the EU in international fora, such as the World Health Organization, must be increased.”
 
Heyo Kroemer, CEO of Charité – Universitätsmedizin, explained that Berlin has become a hotspot for global health: "I’m convinced that global health has become the important topic connecting medicine, universities, the private sector, and NGOs."
 
World Health Summit President Detlev Ganten also made clear how important collaboration is, stating that problems can only be solved if politics, science, civil society, and the private sector work together: “Now is the time to act and take responsibility.”
 
Other speakers at the opening ceremony included:
Magda Robalo, Minister of Public Health, Guinea-Bissau
Bernd Montag, President and CEO, Siemens Healthineers
Tolullah Oni, Senior Research Medical Officer, University of Cambridge
David Loew, Executive Vice President, Sanofi Pasteur
Andrea Wulf, Biographer of Alexander von Humboldt
 
The second day of the World Health Summit, Monday Oct. 28, will feature insights on the impact of climate change on health, digital innovations like artificial intelligence in healthcare, and take a closer look at Africa. Startups will also present their ideas to an international audience.
 
The World Health Summit is one of the world’s leading strategic forums in global health. This year, approximately 20 ministers from around the world, the Director-General of the WHO, top scientists, and leaders from the private sector and civil society are among the participants. For three days, over 2,500 participants from 100 countries will discuss ways to improve global health.
 
Topics in the World Health Summit 2019 program include the impact of climate change on health, improving health systems in Africa and around the world, the fight against antimicrobial resistance, digital health, and implementing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Speakers at the World Health Summit are leading experts from politics, science, business, and civil society.
 
The World Health Summit was founded in 2009 at Charité and is held under the high patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
 
The World Health Summit is fully open to the press. Interviews with speakers can be coordinated throuth the World Health Summit press office.
 
Accreditation: www.worldhealthsummit. org/media/accreditation
Press Information: www.worldhealthsummit. org/media
Livestream: www.worldhealthsummit. org
 
World Health Summit
October 27-29, 2019
Kosmos, Karl-Marx-Allee 131a, Berlin
www.worldhealthsummit. org
#WHS2019
Twitter: @worldhealthsmt
facebook.com/worldhealthsummit
linkedin.com/company/worldhealthsummit
 
Press Contact
Katherine Lindemann
communications(at)worldhealthsummit.org