Conference Archive [2021]
27 SEPTEMBER - 1 OCTOBER 2021 | DIGITAL
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended lives and radically altered the political landscape. While we continue to fight fires and look towards an uncertain future, amidst the ashes of this unprecedented crisis there lies an opportunity for renewal and rebirth. Health is having a rare moment in the political spotlight: now is the time to fight for solidarity, equity and transformation in health, within Europe and on the global stage.
Wolfgang Mückstein
Federal Minister of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Austria
Janez Poklukar
Minister of Health, Republic of Slovenia
Daniels Pavļuts
Minister for Health, Latvia
Sandra Gallina
Director-General, European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety
Hans Henri P. Kluge
Regional Director for Europe, World Health Organization
Sharan Burrow
General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation
Andrea Ammon
Director, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Ahmed Ogwell Ouma
Deputy Director, African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Jeremy Farrar
Director, Wellcome Trust
Obiageli Ezekwesili
Senior Economic Advisor, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative
Mario Monti
Chair, Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development
Dorit Nitzan
Regional Emergency Director, WHO Regional Office for Europe
Milka Sokolović
Director General, European Public Health Alliance
Richard Hatchett
Chief Executive Officer, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
Cristian-Silviu Buşoi
MEP, European Parliament
Brando Benifei
MEP, European Parliament
Ilona Kickbusch
Founding Director and Chair of the Global Health Centre, Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies Geneva
Raina MacIntyre
Head of Biosecurity Research Program, Kirby Institute, University of South Wales, Sydney
Els Torreele
Visiting Fellow, University College London
Christina Pagel
Professor of Operational Research, University College London
To meet the next challenges on the horizon equipped with new solutions, we have to rethink current approaches and practices. How can we keep the spirit of accelerated innovation alive in areas that have been galvanized by the COVID-19 crisis, and at the same time address gaps and unmet needs that have become starkly apparent during the pandemic?
This track will span innovative tools and treatments, as well as meaningful systemic and legal change, and consider approaches with transformative potential in areas like health systems resilience, cancer care, data governance, rare diseases, and digital health.
As health systems struggle to recover from the shocks dealt to them over the last two years, a vital challenge lies in disentangling the complex threads of upstream health determinants on the political, social, economic, and environmental stage. To build forward better, an all-of-policy, all-of-society approach to health is more important than ever before.
This track will explore systems that have seen severe disruption but also unique opportunities for transformation during the pandemic, and discuss future visions for pandemic preparedness, healthcare financing, healthy economies, health and the climate crisis, and more.
Individualistic responses to the pandemic have laid bare schisms in international solidarity, but the crisis has also brought into sharp focus the need to work together better: across countries, continents, sectors, and disciplines. Whether the topic is health security, equitable access to innovative medicines, or the burden of non-communicable diseases, one thing is clear: alone you go fast, but together you go far.
In this track, we will envision a healthier and more resilient Europe in solidarity with the rest of the world, exchange international best practices, and dive into new models of collaboration between all stakeholder groups in health.
When it comes to health threats, no one is safe until everyone is safe - and a truly resilient recovery is impossible without a focus on leaving no-one behind. As we strive for a ‘better normal’ for people, economies and societies, co-creation and equity are indispensable principles.
Sessions and activities in this track will consider how to empower communities, improve communication between experts, decision-makers and citizens, make marginalised voices heard, combat the impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities, and devise collaborative leadership approaches that can point the way to a more equitable tomorrow.