PATH joins world leaders in New York City this week to advocate for innovation to create a healthier, more secure world

Media contact: Kate Davidson | media@path.org

This week in New York City, PATH will join leaders from around the world for the 72nd session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, which is expected to focus on a range of issues, including pandemic preparedness and global security, human exploitation and trafficking, education, universal health coverage (UHC), and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

"World leaders are coming together at a time when nations around the world face complex challenges to global health and security," said PATH President and CEO Steve Davis. "With new leaders at the helm, now is the time for the UN to focus on innovation that strengthens health systems, ensures more equitable access, and makes the world healthier and safer."

PATH representatives will actively participate in a range of events happening concurrently with the General Assembly. Key events where you'll find PATH leaders include:

The Next Frontier for NCD Access

On Monday, September 18, PATH will celebrate the launch of the Coalition for Access to Medicines and Products for NCDs—a global, multisectoral coalition of government, civil society, and private-sector members dedicated to increasing access to essential medicines and health products for NCDs. PATH will serve as the secretariat of the coalition, which will work with countries to help them achieve the World Health Organization's target of 80 percent availability of medicines and technologies for NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The coalition will assist countries in tackling barriers they face in procuring, supplying, and distributing NCD medicines and technologies, and ensuring they are used effectively. Steve Davis will offer opening remarks at the event, and PATH's NCDs program leader, Helen McGuire, will participate. The event will include a panel moderated by Grand Challenges CEO Peter Singer, and will consist of Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance; Joseph Kibachio, head, Division of NCDs, Ministry of Health, Kenya; Khawar Mann, partner, The Abraaj Group; Rebecca Martin, director, Center for Global Health, US CDC; Jean Claude Mbanya, professor of Medicine and Endocrinology, University of Yaoundé; Prashant Yadav, visiting scholar, Harvard Medical School & Strategy Leader-Supply Chain, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Additional confirmed speakers include Sania Nishtar, founder and president, Heartfile, and Sir George Alleyne, director emertirus, Pan American Health Organization. Registration for the event is open to anyone who would like to attend.

Concordia Annual Summit

On September 18 and 19, Steve Davis and other PATH staff will participate in the Concordia Annual Summit, a global affairs forum where the world's most prominent business, government and nonprofit leaders will gather to examine the world's most pressing challenges and identify avenues for collaboration. On Monday, September 18, Steve will moderate a roundtable of CEOs to identify recommendations and best practices for leveraging the power of public-private partnerships to accelerate global health and development. On Tuesday, September 19, Steve will participate in a strategic dialogue with other CEOs and global leaders on innovative financing solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The session will explore the practicality of identifying and mobilizing the capital investments needed to address the challenges set by the SDGs, including cross-sector collaboration to create effective strategies and scale impact across a wide range of issues.

World Economic Forum (WEF) Sustainable Development Impact Summit

On Tuesday, September 19, Steve Davis will join leaders from government, business, academia, and civil society at the WEF Sustainable Development Impact Summit. This summit will provide a multi-stakeholder platform for concerted action on accelerating public-private cooperation and deploying new technological solutions to deliver on the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris climate agreement. Steve will moderate a panel discussion on improving access to UHC, which will focus on how gaps in human resources, health care financing, provision of medical supplies, health information, and the use of technologies can be addressed to accelerate universal access to primary health care services. Confirmed panelists include Alexander de Croo, Deputy Prime Minister of Development Cooperation, the Digital Agenda, Telecommunications and Postal Services of Belgium; Girish Krishnamurthy, head of Healthcare Product and Platform, Tata Consultancy Services; Henk de Jong, chief international markets, Royal Philips; Jordan Kassalow, founder, VisionSpring; Niall Dunne, chief sustainability officer, BT Group; and Rogerio Ribeiro, SVP & area head Emerging Markets and Asia Pacific, GSK.

Global Goals Awards

On Tuesday, September 19, Steve Davis will join private-sector leaders at the Global Goals Awards dinner. Hosted by Melinda Gates and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, the dinner will focus on engaging the next generation in achieving the SDGs. The dinner will also present five to six unsung heroes with awards for their work in development.

Global Digital Health: Aligning private- and public-sector objectives

On Wednesday, September 20, PATH and FSG will convene 40 private-sector leaders and digital health experts at an invitation-only interactive workshop that will focus on bridging private-sector assets with public-sector needs to create a more connected, sustainable digital health infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries. PATH's Dykki Settle, director of Digital Health Solutions, Lesley-Anne Long, director of the Digital Health Initiative, and Elaine Gibbons, director of Corporate Engagement, will all participate in the workshop, which will explore the unique business proposition for investing private-sector resources in country priorities and identify key public-sector digital health investment needs and opportunities for public-private sector collaboration. The workshop is part of a year-long series of dialogues, working sessions, and events that seek to create opportunities for the exchange of ideas and spur action among private-sector organizations supporting the development of strategies and implementation of country digital infrastructure plans.

From Healthy to Secure: Leveraging the power of global health to drive safety and stability worldwide

On Wednesday, September 20, PATH and Devex will bring together global policy leaders, government officials, security leaders, international development implementers, and key partners in the private sector for an invitation-only discussion about the threats that global epidemics and inadequate health systems pose to stability and security worldwide. Steve Davis will open the discussion with a one-on-one conversation with Ambassador Deborah Birx, coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS, and U.S. special representative for Global Health Diplomacy, and Carolyn Reynolds, vice president for Policy and Advocacy, will give closing remarks. Confirmed panelists include David Barash, executive director, Global Health Portfolio & Chief Medical Officer, GE Foundation; Ed Whiting, director of policy and chief of staff, Wellcome Trust; and Nikhil da Victoria Lobo, CSVP, Global Partnerships, Swiss Re.

Delivering Together for Healthy and Empowered Women, Children, and Adolescents

On Wednesday, September 20, Steve Davis and Carolyn Reynolds will join global leaders at an event hosted by Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) to discuss the importance of empowering women, children, and adolescents, as well as families and communities to foster healthier, more prosperous, and peaceful societies. The event will also host the launch of the replenishment of the Global Financing Facility in support of EWEC, a key financing platform of the UN Secretary General's updated Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health.

Return on innovation: Why investing in global R&D is smart for the world

On Thursday, September 21, the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) will host a dynamic conversation exploring how investment in global health research and development saves millions of lives and helps achieve the SDGs through job creation and economic growth. Building on the recently published Policy Cures and GHTC report on the return on innovation, this conversation will explore the transformative changes, both globally and locally, that have been made possible through US government investments in new global health technologies, and ways to address the challenges that persist. Confirmed panelists include Jamie Bay Nishi, director, GHTC; Jan-Willem Scheijgrond, head of International Partnerships, Philips; Peter Singer, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada; and Bumpei Tamamura, senior director, External Affairs, GHIT Fund. Registration for the event is open to anyone who would like to attend.

Experience UNGA through PATH on social media

Stay up to date with UNGA by follow PATH on Twitter at @PATHtweets, @SteveDavisPATH, and @PATHadvocacy, and watch our live story on Instagram at @pathglobalhealth.

Posted September 14, 2017.