Newsletter 03/2024: Counting Down to the WHS Regional Meeting

Dear friends,

In less than a month, our M8 Alliance member Monash University will be welcoming you to the World Health Summit Regional Meeting in Melbourne. Look forward to an important platform for discussions to improve health, with a special focus on the diverse challenges and opportunities faced by communities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Speakers from various backgrounds will cover a range of pertinent topics, including indigenous health, action for climate change, thriving communities and many more. The goal of the World Health Summit and the M8 Alliance is to facilitate meaningful dialogue and collaboration in addressing pressing health issues affecting the region and beyond. This ties in with this year’s overall theme: “Building Trust for a Healthier World” guiding the World Health Summit in October and the WHS Global Health Dialogues throughout the year.

I thank the Monash team for their tremendous work in putting on this impressive program and speaker line-up and for creating this opportunity to engage with global health actors in the Asia-Pacific region. 

I invite you to join us in Melbourne, where we can collectively work towards advancing healthcare solutions in a collaborative and inclusive manner. 

Stay safe and healthy!

SEE YOU AT THE WHS REGIONAL MEETING 2024
April 22-24, Melbourne, Australia

Register now to participate in the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2024 in Melbourne.

The full program is now available for download. Get details on all 40+ exciting sessions and plan your schedule.

We are expecting a diverse group of global health experts in Melbourne - have a look at the invited speakers and chairs from the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Follow the World Health Summit on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for more insights from speakers including Sir Michael Marmot. 
 

Pandemic Treaty Negotiations in the Midst of Political Interests and Loss of Trust

As the deadline for the “Pandemic agreement” comes closer, the mis- and disinformation about the current negotiations at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva is increasing around the world. In general there is less trust international processes and organizations after COVID19. This insecurity is being exploited by voices that disinform the public about the loss of sovereignty of nation states and restriction of freedom of citizens that would result from a pandemic agreement, and they even conjure a WHO «dictatorship» on the near horizon.

It is indeed difficult to explain the complexities of pandemic treaty negotiations, including the geopolitical dimensions of positions and interests. For many it is not clear that it is not “the WHO” that leads the negotiations but the 194 member countries of the organization. Through an especially established International Negotiation Body they are searching for a consensus on how they want to act cooperatively to prevent and respond to a coming pandemic. Differences are much less about the role of the WHO but about the deep structural global inequalities between the Global North and Global South that must be addressed.

These of course are not part of the populist narrative because for the opponents of an agreement the key issue lies in the rejection of multilateralism. Sovereignty – which is in no way threatened by a pandemic agreement – for them means “my country first”.  It is this storyline that is most dangerous for global health and for people around the world.  We must get better at messaging that no one is safe until everyone is safe.

We are thrilled to welcome new members to our council:

- Beate Kampmann, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- Ashish Jha, Brown University
- Smitha Sadasivan, Civil Society Engagement Mechanism for UHC2030 (CSEM)
- Gabriela Cuevas Barron, UHC2030
- Gabriel Leung, University of Hong Kong
- Ethel Maciel, Ministry of Health Brazil

Check out all WHS Council Members

More than one billion people in the world, that means 1 in 8 people, are now living with obesity. Between 1990 and 2022, obesity rates among children and adolescents worldwide increased four times and those of adults have more than doubled. Obesity is detrimental to people’s health in many ways, including increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, affecting bone health and reproduction, and increasing the risk of certain cancers.

Source: The Lancet

Expert Meeting: Oral Health and General Health 

Join the Expert Meeting on June 12-13, 2024 organized by M8 Alliance member Sapienza University of Rome. It pioneers the inclusion of oral health in global health initiatives in line with the WHO Global Action Plan on Oral Health and features renowned speakers, including experts from NYU, Harvard, Tehran University, University of Bern, and University of Gothenburg. 

On-site participation is open to members of the M8 Alliance, places are limited. Please register until April 30, 2024. Online participation is open for everyone.

Register here
Program and speakers

The World Health Summit is hiring. Apply now to work with our dedicated team in Berlin:

- Media and Public Relations Manager (deadline: April 30)
- Student Assistand Program Management (deadline: April 15)

We look forward to hearing from you.
See all details here.

Check out the latest info, recent projects, and upcoming events on the Charité Center for Global Health website.