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#CivilSocietySpeaks Up at WHA71

Global Health 08 June 2018 Blog Posts/World Health Organization 1
This blog post was written by Elizabeth Kohlway, Senior Manager, External Affairs & Operations, Global Health Council

CALL TO ACTION
“I urge you to go with a renewed determination to work every day for the health of your people. Don’t accept the status quo. Don’t believe that some problems can never be resolved. Choose to believe instead that it’s within your power to make real, lasting change”

—Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director general of the World Health Organization, in his closing speech to the Seventy-first World Health Assembly (WHA71)

And That’s a Wrap! 

Diversity in Delegation: Global Health Council (GHC) made a splash at WHA71 this year (May 21 – 26) with a robust delegation of nearly 100 members. Our delegates came from more than 18 countries and represented female and youth leaders in the field. Throughout the week, they shared their collective work with WHO and national governments from around the world. <Check out this infographic>
Civil Society Speaks Up: The GHC delegation submitted 15 statements to the WHA, most of which were read on the committee room floors. Agenda items addressed by our delegation include: WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work, access to medicines, comprehensive mental health, polio transition, and more. <Read the statements>
High-profile Speakers & Participants: Our 4 public partner events(shout-out to all of our wonderful co-hosts!) welcomed Dr. Tedros Adhanom, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, HHS Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir, Uganda’s Minister of Health Jane Aceng, Patient Advocate Kwanele Asante, and South African Singer and Songwriter Yvonne Chaka Chaka, among other esteemed guests.<Read/view a recap of our events below>

On Twitter: Thank you for amplifying our collective voice during WHA71! GHC earned on average 21.2 K impressions per day during the week (more than 2.5X our normal daily average!). Moreover, our delegation hashtag, #CivilSocietySpeaks, generated approximately 1.9 million impressions. <Share our Twitter moment #CivilSocietySpeaks Up at #WHA71>

Our Partner Side-Events

Getting Local with Global Health Security: A Pathway Towards Sustainable Action

Watch the event recording: www.tinyurl.com/GettingLocalGHSLive
Post-event Blogs/Articles:
1) “Local Participation is the Key to Success in Global Health Security” by Ashley Arabasadi, Policy Advisor at Management Sciences for Health
2)“‘Two Sides of the Same Coin’: Can a Health Systems Lens Inform Health Security Efforts?” by Taylor Williamson, Manager, Health Systems at RTI International
3) “Global Health Security: Take Action to ‘Close the Gaps‘” by Jo Anne Bennett, GHC WHA Delegate
4) “The Local Path to Global Health Security” by Brian Simpson, Editor-in-Chief at Global Health NOW.
Taking Civil Society Engagement to New Heights to Advance WHO’s 13thGeneral Programme of Work and Achieve the Triple Billion Targets
1) The emerging recommendations of the WHO-CSO Task Team have been published online and are open for feedback. We encourage you to share this link with your networks and to submit your own feedback by Friday, June 8.
2) Post-event Blogs/Articles: “A New Era of Partnership at WHO” by Kate Dodson, Vice President, Global Health Strategy at the United Nations Foundation and Loyce Pace, President and Executive Director at Global Health Council 
From the Ground Up: NCDs, TB, and Resilient Health Systems
Post-event Blogs/Articles: “Tuberculosis and NCDs Jostle for Space in the Global Health Agenda” by Vince Chadwick, Correspondent at Devex
 Diverse Pathways and Partnerships to Universal Health Coverage
Watch the event recording: www.tinyurl.com/DiversePathwaystoUHCLive
Post-event Blogs/Articles:
1) “You Can’t Have Universal Health Coverage Without the Community” by Rita Bulusu, Deputy Director, Community Health Strengthening Team at Living Goods
2) “Universal Health Coverage: ‘More Than Just An Aspiration’“ by Jo Anne Bennett, GHC WHA Delegate
3) “Alex Azars’ Excellent UHC Adventure” by Brian Simpson, Editor-in-Chief at Global Health NOW

And More!

1) “The GPW: Making the Impossible Work of the World Health Organization Possible“: GHC WHA delegate Elizabeth Montgomery Collins elaborates on how the 13th General Programme of Work (GPW 13) for 2019–2023 was received and promoted during WHA71.

2) “The 71st World Health Assembly: A New Vibe in Global Health“: Ambassador John E. Lange, Senior Fellow for Global Health Diplomacy at the United Nations Foundation suggests there was a new vibe to WHA this year.

3) “Long Story Short #16: Inside the World Health Assembly“: GHC President and Executive Director Loyce Pace sits down with Devex reporters to discuss hot topics at WHA71, including civil society’s new role, the journey toward universal health coverage, and Ebola response.

4) “Kwanele Asante: ‘It’s Our Lives That Are At Stake’“: Patient advocate and GHC delegate Kwanele Asante shares how to be an NCD champion at WHA71 with Global Health Now. Watch the interview.

5) Women in Global Health’s Blog shares takeaways from their WHA71 activities, which aimed to advance the dialogue on gender equality and women’s leadership in global health.

THANK YOU!
We could not have had such a robust presence at WHA71 without your support.
Help us amplify the voice of the global health community today:
www.globalhealth.org/amplify