On February 23, CSRI Director Jane Nelson joined Saad Houry, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF; Purnima Mane, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA; Ann Starrs, President of Family Care International; Gary Cohen, Executive Vice-President of Becton Dickinson; and Julian Lob-Levyt, Executive Director of the GAVI Alliance to discuss improving health outcomes of women and girls.
The event opened with a keynote address by UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, who has made global health a cornerstone of his tenure at the UN.
Panelists touched on issues ranging from maternal mortality to innovative financing of health partnerships to the technological facilitation of improving health systems and possibilities for corporate engagement in improving health outcomes for women and girls.
Nelson highlighted three spaces for corporate engagement for improving health outcomes: 1) the first, and perhaps most obvious, is the continued crucial contribution of the pharmaceutical companies, particularly in light of developing innovative financing mechanisms for providing medicines and strengthening the systems that provide medicines; 2) expanding the participation of non-health and pharma companies, including ICT companies, manufacturing companies or firms in the tourism sector to offer and improve e-health systems, to strengthen education and disseminate health education for women and girls, or to combat human trafficking; and 3) by expanding economic empowerment for women.
Nelson also highlighted the importance of businesses to mobilize on both the local and global levels, saying it is important to not look not an "either/or" situation. Strategies and resources must be leveraged at both the local and global levels to make broad impact.
The other panel featured at the day's events focused on raising the profile of tropical diseases. Moderated by The Economist's Matthew Bishop, the panel featured Dr. Lorenzo Savioli of the World Health Organization; Rakesh Nangia, Director of Operations for the Human Development Network at the World Bank; Dr. Bernard Pecoul, Executive Director of Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative; Richard Bagger of Pfizer; Dr. Jeffrey Sturchio, Chairman of the U.S. Corporate Council on Africa; and Anne Mills of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Former President Bill Clinton offered closing remarks on the session.
The Program | Biographies | Issue Note: Improving Health Outcomes for Women & Girls
Issue Note: Raising the Profile of Neglected Tropical Diseases | Statements
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