Newsletter 12/2022: Season's Greetings & Outlook to 2023

Dear friends,

The ending year 2022 was challenging with its many geopolitical crises and their impact on health for all and the progression towards the sustainable development goals. The Russian war on Ukraine has devastated the country and caused economic insecurity around the world. This war demonstrates clearly the interconnectedness and dependencies in our global world and emphasized that renewable energy sources are not only urgently needed to save our planet from the impacts of climate change but also to be independent from authoritarian regimes with large fossil fuel resources.

All these crises have shown us that international cooperation and multidisciplinary approaches are key to impactful and sustainable solutions. Collaborating with WHO this year as co-hosts of the World Health Summit 2022 signals both institutions’ commitment to multilateralism and holistic, global approaches in health.

Dear friends, 2023 will again be a crucial year. We at the World Health Summit will continue to foster cross-sectoral, international collaboration in global health und look forward to continue working with you.

The whole World Health Summit team and myself wish you a safe and healthy new year 2023!

The World Health Summit team wishes you all the best for 2023!

Join the World Health Summit Regional Meeting in the United States on April 13, 2023: the registration is now open. Under the theme of "Bridging the Science to Policy Gap – Opportunities for Academia", the Regional Meeting 2023 will highlight the essential role of evidence-based science for the development of global health policy.

After the past Regional Meetings in Europe (Italy, 2022) and Africa (Uganda, 2021), the Regional Meeting 2023 will be hosted and organized by the US-based M8 Alliance members George Washington University, CUGH, AAHCI in association with Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as part of IAP. Each Regional Meeting is hosted by the M8 Alliance member holding the World Health Summit International Presidency of the respective year, which rotates annually. 

Register now

More information 

New European Global Health Strategy

The European Unions intends to strengthen its leadership in the global health realm with a new global health strategy. The strategy aims to improve global health security and deliver better health for all in a changing world. It describes global health as an essential pillar of EU external policy, a critical sector geopolitically and central to EU strategic autonomy. Central concepts to the strategy are the life course approach, universal health coverage, as well as the One Health approach. 

Read the press release on the new global health strategy and find more information here

International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA)

Serving as a catalyst to build more resilient health systems that allow African countries to better prepare for and manage emerging health threats while also addressing long-standing infectious diseases were clear goals of the 2nd CPHIA in Kigali, Rwanda. The conference with representation from all 55 African countries focused on pandemic preparedness, increasing local vaccine production, tackling infectious and non-communicable diseases, and African leadership in health and called for a new public health order.  

New Report on European Health Developments

Mental and physical health of young people, care disruption during the pandemic, and prioritizing of infectious and non-communicable diseases are the main issues described in "Health  at a Glance: Europe 2022", a product of ongoing close collaboration between the OECD and the European Commission to monitor European health trends. 

Find all facts and figures on European health developments over the past two years here 

AXEL R. PRIES ENDS TENURE AS DEAN OF CHARITÉ

World Health Summit president Axel Pries steps down as dean of Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, one of Europe's largest university hospitals and one of Germany's most research-intensive institutions. During his eight-year tenure Axel Pries was significantly involved in the reform of teaching, including the implementation of the model course of study in medicine and the establishment of new courses of study such as public health, and the founding of the new Charité Center for Global Health. 2021 Axel Pries became president of the World Health Summit, which is a Charité subsidiary. The new Charité dean is Joachim Spranger, previously vice dean for teaching and learning.

January 1: G7 presidency Japan | EU Council presidency Sweden
February 25: General election in Nigeria
March 14-15: UN Development Cooperation Forum 
April 7: World Health Day
April 13: World Health Summit Regional Meeting in Washington DC & Digital
May 19-23: G7 Summit in Hiroshima 
May 21-30: WHO World Health Assembly in Geneva
June 18: General election in Turkey
July 1: EU Council presidency Spain
July 10-20: UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 
September 12-30: UN General Assembly in New York
September 20-21: UN SDG Summit in New York
October 12: General election in Pakistan
October 15-17: World Health Summit in Berlin & Digital
October 29: General election in Argentina
November 30-December 12: COP28 in the United Arab Emirates
December: General election in Bangladesh