Responsibility

Code of Conduct
Sustainability Concept

Taking responsibility - for health, for each other, for our planet - is at the heart of the World Health Summit. In a fragmenting world, we are committed to promoting sustainability, fostering respectful collaboration, and upholding a clear and transparent Code of Conduct.

We expect all participants - on site and online - to contribute to a safe, inclusive, and professional environment by acting with integrity, embracing diversity, and engaging in constructive dialogue.

Code of Conduct

The World Health Summit strives to improve the health of all people all over the world and is committed to upholding the fundamental human rights, dignity and worth of the human person, and equal human rights.

The annual conference of the World Health Summit is guided by the highest ethical and professional standards and is held in complete academic freedom and independence. We offer a welcoming experience for everyone and are doing everything in our power to ensure a safe environment.

All participants, speakers, chairs, partners, staff, and anyone else associated with the World Health Summit activities are required to follow this Code of Conduct. It applies in person and online including on the WHS social media channels at all times.

What We Expect

The World Health Summit stands for an open, fair, respectful, lively and objective culture of discussion. Discuss the topic at hand without attacking others personally. Everyone has a right to their own opinion, however, please do not try to force your views on others. Act with integrity and respect towards others and treat everybody as you would like to be treated. Respect the boundaries and privacy of others and only take photos, record video or audio material, and share personal information publicly with explicit permission. Follow health and safety guidelines.

What We Do Not Tolerate

We have zero tolerance for any form of harassment, sexual assault, intimidation, humiliation, or discrimination against any person or group of people. Harassment in any form because of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental and physical ability, ethnicity, race, national origin, physical appearance, political affiliation, religion, age, or any other reason is prohibited at the World Health Summit.

Sexual harassment is a specific type of prohibited conduct. Find our “Guideline for Prevention and Handling of Sexual Harassment” below.

We do not tolerate disruptive behavior, stalking, or threatening anyone.
Any kind of political, religious or racial propaganda is not permitted.
Do not spread content or information that violates any law.
Do not use the World Health Summit venue for unauthorized demonstrations.

The World Health Summit, operated by the WHS Foundation GmbH, reserves the right to bar any person who violates these regulations from attending the annual World Health Summit without refund.

Guideline for Prevention and Handling of Sexual Harassment

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Self-Commitment

Integrity

Corruption or bribery in any form will not be tolerated. This applies to all employees, business partners, suppliers, distributors, and sales agents.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are central to the vision of the World Health Summit. We believe that effective and sustainable global health solutions require diverse perspectives, equitable participation, and inclusive spaces where different voices are empowered to contribute meaningfully. We are committed to promoting DEI and want to create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected.

Our Path Towards Progress:

Promoting diverse representation among speakers, chairs, moderators, and participants across regions, genders, age groups, and professional backgrounds.
Supporting participation of underrepresented groups, marginalized communities, and minorities.
Developing a broad and inclusive program that addresses the interests, needs, and lived realities of diverse populations.
Promoting interactive and inclusive formats that encourage dialogue, knowledge sharing, and meaningful audience participation.
Improving physical and digital accessibility for people with disabilities throughout the venue.
Providing dedicated spaces for inclusion, including multi-faith prayer rooms, as well as a quiet room and nursing room.
Reducing barriers to participation through ticket discounts, targeted access initiatives, financial support mechanisms, and free digital access to the main program.
Aiming to build partnerships with more organizations that demonstrate leadership and commitment in advancing DEI within global health.
Seeking and engaging sponsors, that are willing to support scholarships, accessibility technologies, or other inclusive conference features.
Fostering a respectful, safe, and inclusive environment through a clear Code of Conduct, that applies both on-site and online, supported by an Awareness Team present throughout the event.

We view DEI as an ongoing commitment and shared responsibility. Through continuous evaluation, feedback, and collaboration, we strive to strengthen DEI and continually enhance our practices to better serve the needs of all attendees at the World Health Summit and contribute to more just and resilient global health solutions.

Sustainability

We pay special attention to resource-conserving practices in everything we do. Please read all details in the Sustainability Concept below.

Sustainability Concept

Climate change is one of the most pressing health issues of our time and has long been on the agenda at the World Health Summit. The World Health Summit is based on the idea that bringing the right people together from around the world accelerates progress. We believe that in-person encounters lead to new partnerships and strategic collaborations. In addition, the entire program is available for free online, enabling participants to join remotely from anywhere. We have a responsibility to act sustainably and are constantly seeking ways to minimize our carbon impact, while still facilitating fruitful discussions and future-oriented solutions for global health.

Emission Reduction Projects

Estimated carbon emissions from speakers' flights to the World Health Summit have been offset in full by supporting a variety of emission reduction projects. Certified by Gold Standard, the Wind Energy Project in Gujarat, India supports clean energy generation by harnessing wind power, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and contributing to sustainable development while also creating local job opportunities and supporting community well-being. All projects are designated to one or more SDG. View the CO2-Compensation Certificate.

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Trees for WHS Participants

Climate and health are high on the agenda at the World Health Summit, therefore we are proud to announce that one tree was planted for every WHS participant in 2023 and 2024. Our partner Tree Adoption Uganda planted the trees in Nakaseke District, Uganda at health facilities. By teaching community health workers about the effects of climate change on health, the partnership helps building climate adaptive and resilient health systems.

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Environmentally Conscious Printing

The World Health Summit program is printed on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from FSC-certified forests, recycled material, and controlled wood. The greenhouse gasses associated with the program’s production have also been offset through the support of climate protection projects.

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Alternatives to Air Travel

Speakers and participants are encouraged to avoid flying if possible. The World Health Summit recommends participants from neighboring countries to travel via train (if possible) in order to avoid short distance flights. The entire program is available for free online, enabling participants to join remotely from anywhere.

Getting Around Berlin

The World Health Summit venue is accessible by public transportation. The venue is also the conference hotel and offers accommodation for WHS speakers and staff, which reduces unnecessary travel within the city.

Speaker & Participant Management

Communication with speakers & participants is entirely digital. This includes the registration, invitation, confirmation of speakers & participants and further organizational correspondence.

Use of e-signatures

The WHS Foundation GmbH uses a cloud-based e-signature service to digitally sign internal and external documents in order to avoid unnecessary printing and digitalize document processes. This saves paper and toner consumption in the daily work routine of all WHS employees.

Energy Use

For the conference and also in the organizing office, mainly energy-related devices with very high energy efficiency classes in the sense of the EU regulation 2017/1368 are used.
The room temperature in all conference rooms will be reduced from a capacity utilization of 60%.During the night, the heating output of the conference rooms is further reduced.

Technical Equipment

During the World Health Summit, LED technology is used and care is taken to ensure that energy-efficient technology is utilized when choosing the needed equipment. WHS uses shared multifunctioning printers during the conference and at the WHS office. Not every workplace is equipped with its own printer.

Catering

Meals at the World Health Summit are entirely vegetarian and prepared using seasonal and organic products from mainly local and regional sources with short transportation needs. All ingredients and processed products are fair trade. There is no disposable packaging, crockery or cutlery at the World Health Summit.

Waste Management

Waste at the conference and also in the organization office is separated into paper, organic waste, glass, lightweight packaging and residual waste for recycling purposes.

Reuse of Branding Material

Our graphic designers, technicians and stage builders are required to produce and structure the branding materials in such a way that they can be used several times depending on their content. The prints are stored in Berlin between the conferences.

Conference Material

All World Health Summit giveaways are ecologically manufactured and fair trade if available.

Procurement

When choosing products and services for procurement, attention is paid to climate-friendly services and companies. Local service providers are always preferred.

SDGs

The World Health Summit promotes the global health debate in the spirit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

More About WHS

Our Organization

Leadership

Network

Integrity

Corruption or bribery in any form will not be tolerated. This applies to all employees, business partners, suppliers, distributors, and sales agents.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Our Path Towards Progress:

Promoting diverse representation among speakers, chairs, moderators, and participants across regions, genders, age groups, and professional backgrounds.
Supporting participation of underrepresented groups, marginalized communities, and minorities.
Developing a broad and inclusive program that addresses the interests, needs, and lived realities of diverse populations.
Promoting interactive and inclusive formats that encourage dialogue, knowledge sharing, and meaningful audience participation.
Improving physical and digital accessibility for people with disabilities throughout the venue.
Providing dedicated spaces for inclusion, including multi-faith prayer rooms, as well as a quiet room and nursing room.
Reducing barriers to participation through ticket discounts, targeted access initiatives, financial support mechanisms, and free digital access to the main program.
Aiming to build partnerships with more organizations that demonstrate leadership and commitment in advancing DEI within global health.
Seeking and engaging sponsors, that are willing to support scholarships, accessibility technologies, or other inclusive conference features.
Fostering a respectful, safe, and inclusive environment through a clear Code of Conduct, that applies both on-site and online, supported by an Awareness Team present throughout the event.

Sustainability

We pay special attention to resource-conserving practices in everything we do. Please read all details in the Sustainability Concept below.