Seed at the 76th World Health Assembly
May 21, 2023 – Seed Global Health is in Geneva this week for the 76th World Health Assembly. The Seed team will join partners and colleagues to advance discussions around the need to invest in health systems with well-trained, well-resourced health workforces at their core. Investing in a fit-for-purpose health workforce will help countries achieve universal health coverage and better respond to the effects of climate change.
Our CEO Dr. Vanessa Kerry spoke at two high-level events:
1. WHO STRATEGIC ROUNDTABLE The Role of the Health Community in Climate Action: Taking Stock and Moving Forward
Wednesday, May 24 at 1 PM CET / 7 AM EDT: This roundtable discussed the role of the health community – including frontline health workers, ministries of health, intergovernmental and nongovernmental health organizations, and health academics in addressing the climate crisis. It identified opportunities (including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP28, the UN Secretary-General Climate Ambition Summit 2023, and the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly) to firmly place the health community and WHO as key actors in addressing the climate crisis, and to drive action.
Moderater: Dr. Maria Neira, Director, Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO
Panelists:
- Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
- Dr. Vanessa Kerry, Chief Executive Officer, Seed Global Health
- Secretary John Kerry, United States Special Envoy for Climate
- Mr. Adnan Z. Amin, President, COP28
- Dr. Nada Al Marzooqi, Director of Public Health and Prevention Department, Ministry of Health and Prevention of the UAE
- Ambassador Katharina Stasch, Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations
- Mr. Ahmed Naseem, Minister of Health of the Republic of Maldives
- Dr. Omnia el Omrani, Youth Envoy, COP27, WHO Youth Council
- Dr. Ailan Li, Assistant Director-General, UHC/HEP, WHO
2. High-level Ministerial Convening on Developing a Fit-for-Purpose Health Workforce for Universal Health Coverage in Africa
Tuesday, May 23 at 10 AM CET: On the sidelines of the 2022 UN General Assembly, Seed Global Health, Amref Health Africa, and a number of African governments made a commitment to raise $100M at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to support the development of a fit-for purpose health workforce for Africa. This initiative seeks to further consolidate support from governments, multilateral organizations, investors, donors and implementing agencies towards the African Union/Africa CDC health workforce transformation agenda.
This high-level ministerial convening brought together government, private sector stakeholders, and development partners in Africa to discuss priorities around the key commitments made at CGI to develop and sustain a fit-for-purpose health workforce for universal health coverage in Africa.
Dr. Kerry joined a panel discussion with USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health Dr. Atul Gawande, Clinton Health Access Initiative CEO Dr. Neil Shah, and GSK Head of Impact Partnerships, Global Health Sabena Solomon.
An earlier panel featured the ministers of health from Ethiopia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia in conversation with WHO Health Workforce Director Dr. James Campbell.
This event was hosted by Amref Health Africa and the Kenya Ministry of Health.
The event took place in the Doha meeting room at the Hilton Hotel, Route Francois-Peyrot 34, 1218 Le Grand Saconnex, Geneva.
