The ICM hosted a public consultation on June 6th at the Geneva Institute on its discussion paper “Global Pandemics and Global Public Health.”
Watch the webcast:
The links between health, development, and security challenges are becoming ever clearer. The Ebola crisis in particular exposed serious weaknesses in the global health architecture and its ensuing impact on development and security. The multilateral system anchored in the United Nations must address these issues, and the institutional silos that often impede sound policy-making with a renewed focus. While the World Health Organization remains the central organization for coordinating international policies and action in the area of global public health, the organization’s structure and operational capacity need to be strengthened and bolstered by existing and new partnerships, including with regional organizations, NGOs, and the private sector.
The multilateral system should support the development of inclusive and inter-sectoral national health policies and systems, as well as assist states in implementing the International Health Regulations. The 2030 Agenda provides an opportunity for such a structured and comprehensive approach. More than half of the seventeen SDGs relate to health, either directly or indirectly. Goal 3, in particular, is essential to sustainable development. This discussion paper reviews the aforementioned challenges and opportunities and makes a series of recommendations aimed at the UN system at large and member states more specifically.
This public consultation focused on the insights and recommendations of the discussion paper. We received feedback from members of civil society organizations, academia, member states, and the private sector, and consequently considered the feedback while making adjustments to the paper.
Discussants:
Prof. Dr. Ilona Kickbusch, Director, Global Health Centre and Adjunct Professor, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the United Nations in Geneva
Ms. Katherine Deland, Chief of Staff, Ebola Response World Health Organization
Dr. Stefan Germann, Senior Director, Partnerships, Innovation and Accountability, World Vision International
Mr. Omar El Okdah, Senior Policy Analyst, International Peace Institute
Moderator:
H.E. Ms. Barbara Gibson, Deputy Secretary-General, Independent Commission on Multilateralism