Business as usual? The case for transforming global health governance

Dr Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija is a visionary, innovative leader and influencer in global health and humanitarian development. A Pan-African at heart and citizen of the world, Ayoade speaks nine languages and is committed to transformational change that puts the voices of the global south at the heart of policy planning and decision making in critical health, development, education, and humanitarian issues.

Ayoade is Co-Chair of the African Union's Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance and Founder of the Emergency Coordination Centre, Nigeria (ECC), as well as the former Chief Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria. With a background in medicine, public health and policy, Ayoade is a recognised Pan-African strategist and analytical thinker who brings creative and innovative solutions to complex situations.

Ayoade has long standing relationships and networks with leaders across governments, multilateral agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector. She has successfully delivered initiatives ranging across health, development, humanitarian crisis and education in countries across Africa and globally. In addition to this, she served as a Board Member at George Washington University, Africa Centre for Peace and Human Security.

Ayoade is passionate about achieving equitable outcomes in all aspects of life especially health, education and achieving social justice globally. In addition to this, she is currently spearheading an initiative to create Safe Learning and Teaching Environments in Nigeria (The CASTLE Initiative).

Michael Weinstein is the president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization. Before becoming involved in HIV/AIDS-related issues in the 1980s, he was a businessman and graphic designer. Since 1986, Mr. Weinstein has been a leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS. As president and co-founder of AHF, he oversees a multi-billion dollar organization whose mission is to provide “cutting-edge medicine and advocacy regardless of ability to pay.” AHF currently serves over 1.5 million clients in the United States, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific region, and Eastern Europe.

Under Weinstein’s leadership, AHF has grown from a group of friends dedicated to the creation of dignified care for people in the last stages of AIDS to the largest AIDS organization in the United States. The Foundation now operates in more than 45 countries globally.

Senior political advisor on global health affairs in the German Federal Ministry of Health coordinating the Federal Government’s Strategy on Global Health, WHO with a specific focus on strengthening WHO / WHO reform, finances and administration, COVID-19 lessons-learnt-processes. 

Key recent roles include: 

• Since 2018, German member to the WHO Executive Board
• 2019-2020: Chair of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board of WHO
• 2020, Vice-Chair of the Executive Board of WHO
• Since 2020, link between the Executive Board and the Standing Committee of the Regional Committee of the WHO European Region
• Since 2021, Chair of the WHO Open-ended Working Group on Sustainable Financing.

After studying literature at Oxford University and politics at Sciences Po Paris, Stéphanie Seydoux started her career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She then joined ENA (Ecole nationale d’administration) and the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (IGAS) in 2004. From 2007 to 2010, she was Head of Equality Promotion at the French Independent Equality Commission, before serving as Deputy Ambassador at the French Embassy in Kenya. Back in France, she became Head of the French Women’s rights department from 2014 to 2017. Seydoux was appointed French Ambassador for Global health in 2018.

Juozas Olekas is a Member of the European Parliament and a member of the AGRI Committee. MEP Olekas has worked in medicine for a large part of his life. After graduating from Kaunas Medical Institute, he studied at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University and later improved his knowledge at the University of Glasgow. 1980-1988 he worked as a doctor at Vilnius University Red Cross Hospital, 1982-1989 VU Microsurgery Center Laboratory Chief Research Fellow, 1992-1993 VU Plastic Surgery Clinic Chief Research Fellow, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. In 1993-1994 he worked as the head of the Department of Plastic Surgery and Traumatology of Vilnius University Ambulance Hospital, and in 1994-1997 as the chief doctor of VU Žalgiris Hospital, associate professor of the Dental Clinic of VU Faculty of Medicine. From 1988, MEP Olekas actively participated in restoring Lithuania's independence and from 1996 to 2019 worked as a member of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, worked as the Minister of Health or the Minister of Defense in 7 governments. In 2019, he was elected a Member of the European Parliament, where he is actively working on promoting a robust, inclusive and holistic European health union.

Jacki Davis is an experienced journalist, speaker and moderator of high-level events both in Brussels and in EU national capitals, the editor of many publications, a regular broadcaster on television and radio news programmes, and a Senior Adviser to the European Policy Centre think tank. Jacki has been based in Brussels for 21 years, and was previously Communications Director of the European Policy Centre think tank; Editor-in-Chief of E!Sharp magazine; and launch editor of European Voice, the Brussels-based weekly newspaper owned by The Economist.

Jacki has moderated many conferences in Brussels and in EU Member States, and also has extensive experience in planning events. She can provide not only top-quality moderation of the event itself and ensure lively and highly interactive debates, but also advice and guidance on how to plan a successful event, how to frame the debate and brief speakers to deliver the desired outcomes etc.