Since 2015, Global Health Council has been convening members of its network in Washington, DC for an
annual symposium to discuss current trends and calls to action in global health. Over the years, we have
acknowledged a “new normal” in global health policy and our responsibility as a community to pursue
communication, collaboration, or campaign practices that facilitate meaningful change and shared
progress. Those events have led to calls for new narratives and partnerships for USG programs as well as
commitments to integrated, country-based investments or plans, in pursuit of UHC and a broader 2030
agenda. Nothing has made these conversations more relevant than the game-changing events of 2020.
Enter this year’s symposium, less a singular forum and more a series of events hosted with a range of
global and regional stakeholders. Our virtual 2020 summit this November will take place over two days
with a focus on Pandemics, Politics, and Privilege: The Good, Bad, & Ugly U.S. Legacy in Global Health.
We know that we don’t have all the answers as an organization or subset of actors but we want to be
part of driving the solution to longstanding challenges and push us all to do better by those we serve.
This means taking a hard look with and hearing more from those directly affected by U.S. policies and
programs to discuss where those efforts have succeeded and failed, and how we approach investments
or initiatives with a stronger focus on equity, justice, and humility. We want to walk away from this time
together with a deeper commitment to shifting the power dynamics and structural barriers not only to
respective goals but also our ideal method of reaching those such as shared plans and resources or local
leadership and decision-making. The current system isn’t built to make these dreams we have a reality.
We hope that you will join us and sign up to receive updates on the program as that is developed in the coming weeks.
Sessions
Unpacking Race, Privilege, and Intersectional Bias as Drivers of Global Health Policy
What would it look like to be “anti-racist” in global health? And, why is that so radical? Building on our dialogues with Black leaders this and last year, we’ll be creating space to have deeper reflections on how institutions and individuals move beyond the current colonial framework in U.S. global health. Keynote remarks from leaders in this space will be paired with a special workshop led by PopWorks Africa founder, Stephanie Kimou. We’ll also team up with Sarah Hillware, Deputy Director of Women in Global Health, for a roundtable discussion on the overlap of racial/ethnic and other identities.
Advisors
Lori Adelman, Vice President, Global Fund for Women
Jamila Headley, Chief of Staff, The Center for Popular Democracy
Building Back Better After COVID-19… to What and for Whom?
mWe thought we were ready for this moment and, yet, when COVID-19 hit the world was tested in unanticipated ways. Join us for a real time post-mortem on the global response and our active recovery, with conversations on the Global Health Security Agenda’s highlights and lowlights as well as findings from the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. We’ll offer country and community perspectives from downstream and shine a light on governments that got it right, challenging our assumptions about readiness and resilience.
Advisors
Dr. Ngozi Erondu, CEO, Project Zambezi/ Senior Scholar, O'Neill Institute, Georgetown University/ Associate Fellow, Universal Health Centre, Chatham House
Dr. Dorothy Peprah, Senior Global Health Security Agenda Advisor, USAID
Reimagining U.S. Global Health Initiatives in Light of Pandemics, Politics, and Privilege
We’ll be hearing from country and community leaders their take on existing U.S. global health policies and how they perpetuate a culture of colonialism. How could we revisit what might not be working as well as we thought, particularly in a post-COVID world? Beyond a set of principles, what are specific proposals we can put in front of a new presidential administration or congressional leaders that correct those shortcomings? Policymakers will be on hand to respond to recommendations and offer their take on immediate opportunities for change.
Advisors
Crystal Lander, Executive Director, Global Affairs, Pathfinder International
Algene Sajery, Foreign Policy & National Security Expert, Founder of Catalyst Global Strategies, LLC
Stay tuned for more information on our leadership dialogue with global health executives from programmatic and philanthropic organizations at which we will push decision-makers beyond checklists and statements to walk the talk in racial equity!
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