WHS Global Health Dialogues

The WHS Global Health Dialogues bring together thought-leaders and decision-makers throughout the year to discuss a wide range of global health issues in an exclusive and intimate setting. By taking on a political-strategic focal point, the Global Health Dialogues are developed in the context of relevant global health events the like G7/G20 conferences or UN High-Level meetings, putting global health on the agenda of international politics, and complementing the central topics of the World Health Summit.

Global Health Dialogue, September 7, 2023

"Recommitting to Universal Health Coverage"

Universal health coverage (UHC) is crucial to reaching “SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being for all”, yet the progress towards it has stalled in recent years, to large parts due COVID-19. Scaling up political commitment across the globe will be central to achieving UHC.

Together with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNICEF, the World Health Summit hosted its third WHS Global Health Dialogue this year with selected high-level guests from politics, academia, civil society and the private sector for an open discussion on how to recommit to universal health coverage.

Practical solutions, including the use of telemedicine as well as open-source digital health solutions, will be key accelerators of UHC progress on which the ambassadors of India and Kenya shared valuable examples. The civil society representatives stressed not only the importance of transparency and involvement of civil society in high-level meetings, but also equal and respectful partnerships towards UHC.

"The issue of strengthening country systems is critical. If this isn't done, it’s all just a game."

Tom Amolo
Ambassador, Embassy of Kenya, Germany

"If you want to distribute vaccines in an equitable way, which is essential to universal health coverage, you need to ask yourself first where vaccines are manufactured."

Guillaume Grosso
Director, Sovereign & Private Sector Engagement, Donor Relations & Campaigns, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

"At the heart of universal health coverage are the health care workers and we have to ensure they are safe, secure and funded."

Tina Rudolph
Subcommittee on Global Health, German Bundestag

"As long as there are deliberate attacks on health system structures, universal health coverage is unattainable."

Florian Westphal
CEO, Save the Children Germany

Welcome:
Axel R. Pries
President, World Health Summit
Moderation:
Ilona Kickbusch
Co-Chair Council, World Health Summit

Contributions:
Guillaume Grosso
Director, Sovereign & Private Sector Engagement, Donor Relations & Campaigns, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

Johannes Hunger
Chief Advisor / Head of Special Projects, External Relations and Communications Division, The Global Fund

Benjamin Schreiber
Senior Health Advisor / ACT-A Coordinator, UNICEF

Tania Rödiger-Vorwerk
Deputy Director General Global Health, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany

Tom Amolo
Ambassador, Embassy of Kenya, Germany

Kaname Araki
Minister of the Embassy of Japan, Germany

Markus Beck
Senior Manager, Sovereign & Private Sector Engagement, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

Martin Bergfelder
Coordinator for the Foreign Policy Dimension of Global Health Issues, Federal Foreign Office, Germany

Celia Diez
Humanitarian Analyst, Welfare and Self Reliance Services across Europe, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Marie-Alix Ebner von Eschenbach
Head of Government Affairs and Policy Europe Middle East and Africa, Siemens Healthineers

Jennifer Hart
Senior Government Relations Adviser, Wellcome Trust

Tobias Kahler
Head, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Germany

Beate Kampmann
Director, Institute of International Health, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Georg Kippels
Rapporteur, Committee on Health, German Bundestag

Jan-Thilo Klimisch
Spokesman on Health, VENRO

Astrid Lurati
Chief Financial and Infrastructure Officer, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Harish Parvathaneni
Ambassador, Embassy of India, Germany

Katja Pohlmann
Head of Division for Energy, Natural Resources, Hydrogen and Infrastructure, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany

Isabelle Poupart
Ambassador, Embassy of Canada, Germany

Tina Rudolph
Subcommittee on Global Health, German Bundestag

Sergius Seebohm
Consultant in charge of Germany, Friends of the Global Fund Europe

Christian Schneider
Executive Director, German National Committee for UNICEF

Florian Westphal
CEO, Save the Children Germany

Peter Wiessner
Advocacy and Public Relations Officer, Action against AIDS Germany

Global Health Dialogue, June 22, 2023

"Harnessing the Power of Digital Technologies for Health"

Digital technologies can be a key driver towards Universal Health Coverage and health equity, yet much remains to be done to achieve these goals. The noticeable urgency to collaborate across borders and across sectors for common digital solutions among all stakeholders while acknowledging the need for interoperability and data privacy was a key result of the WHS Global Health Dialogue on “Harnessing the Power of Digital Technologies for Health”.

Since digital technologies are transforming health care to an unprecedented extent and the power of digital technologies is becoming increasingly relevant in health systems worldwide, the World Health Summit invited high-level speakers and guests from politics, civil society, industry, and academia to discuss various aspects relating to digital health.

"The opportunity cost of not using data is far too high."

Thomas Renner
Subdivision Head, Digital & Innovation, Ministry of Health, Germany

"Whatever new things we bring in, we always have to be respectful towards the things that exist already, even if they do not work particularly well."

Chikwe Ihekweazu
Assistant Director-General, Division of Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems, World Health Organization (WHO)

"The World Health Summit is, next to the World Health Assembly, the most important gathering in the year where public and private sectors come together."

Götz Gottschalk
Head of Health, YouTube Germany

"Political will is key. Political will comes to what is the priority. Political will has to be supported by enabling policies."

Igor Cesar
Ambassador, Embassy of Rwanda, Germany

Welcome:
Axel R. Pries
President, World Health Summit
Moderation:
Ilona Kickbusch
Co-Chair Council, World Health Summit

Contributions:
Thomas Renner
Subdivision Head, Digital & Innovation, Ministry of Health, Germany

Thomas Wiegand
Executive Director, Fraunhofer Institute

Götz Gottschalk
Head of Health, YouTube Germany

Chikwe Iheakweazu
Assistant Director-General, Division of Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems, World Health Organization (WHO)

Hila Azadzoy
Vice President, Global Health Initiative, Ada Health

Christoph Benn
Director, Global Health Diplomacy, Joep Lange Institute

Igor Cesar
Ambassador, Embassy of Rwanda, Germany

Lisa Heinrich
European Government Relations Lead, Wellcome Trust

Julian Kickbusch
Program Director, World Health Summit

Martin E. Kreis
Chief Medical Officer,Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Alexander Schellinger
Head, Healthcare Innovation, Techniker Krankenkasse

Carsten Schicker
Managing Director, World Health Summit

Sebastian Schmidt-Kaehler
Co-Director, Program Health, Bertelsmann Foundation

Tobias Silberzahn
Partner, Life Sciences Practice, McKinsey

Sylvia Thun
Director, Core-Unit eHealth und Interoperabilität, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH)

Global Health Dialogue, April 27, 2023

"2023: A Defining Year for Global Health Action and Rethinking the Global Health Landscape"

2023 is a pivotal year for global health – as reflected in the theme for this year's World Health Summit. Many high-level events are scheduled for this year and WHO celebrates its 75th anniversary. To take global health to a new level, cooperation between G7/G20 decision-makers, policymakers, academia, and the private sector is more critical than ever.

At the WHS Global Health Dialogue "2023: A Defining Year for Global Health Action and Rethinking the Global Health Landscape", ambassadors from the current presidencies of G7 (Japan) and G20 (India) gave insights on the country's global health priorities under their leadership and the French ambassador explained the recently adopted European Global Health Strategy. The participants of the WHS Global Health Dialogue, key players from academia, politics, industry, and civil society, agreed on the need to strengthen multilateral collaboration, particularly between the North and South, and reducing fragmentation between global health actors.

"Berlin should take a leading role in bringing together people in global health."

Axel R. Pries
President, World Health Summit

"We strongly advocate for a greater share in multilateral cooperation to avoid the fragmentation in international health systems."

François Delattre
Ambassador, Embassy of France, Germany

"I think on the issue of health, national leaders have a direct obligation to their citizens."

Harish Parvathaneni
Ambassador, Embassy of India, Germany

Welcome:
Axel R. Pries
President, World Health Summit
Moderation:
Ilona Kickbusch
Co-Chair Council, World Health Summit

Contributions:
H.E. Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni
Embassy of India, Germany

H.E. Ambassador François Delattre
Embassy of France, Germany

Kenichi Bessho
Embassy of Japan, Germany

Niels Annen
State Secretary, Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany

Malek Bajbouj
Head, Center for Affective Neuroscience, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Anna Bertoglio
Counsellor for Social Affairs, Embassy of Italia, Germany

Catharina Boehme
Assistant Director-General, External Relations and Governance, World Health Organization (WHO)

Reinhard Busse
Professor of Healthcare Management, Technische Universität Berlin

Martin Fensch
Vice President Governmental Affairs & Strategic Partnerships Europe, Daiichi Sankyo Europe

Detlev Ganten
Founding President and Chairman, Board of Trustees, WHS Foundation GmbH

Hermann Gröhe
Member of the German Bundestag

Lisa Heinrich
European Government Relations Lead, Wellcome Trust

Roberto Jaguaribe
Ambassador, Embassy of Brazil, Germany

Tobias Kahler
Head, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Germany

Beate Kampmann
Director, Charité Center Global Health