Platform Events
Connecting global health leaders through timely, strategic conversations.
Geneva brings together a unique global community of UN agencies, governments, civil society, academia, and private-sector health actors. The International Geneva Global Health Platform convenes this community through thematic events that foster dialogue, collaboration, and impact on global health and human rights.
Upcoming events
How Well Are National Climate Plans Protecting Health? Launching the 2026 Healthy NDC Scorecards
DESCRIPTION
Under the Paris Agreement, governments update their national climate plans – known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – every five years. These plans set out emissions reductions targets and interventions across sectors to address climate change. Health is a vital part of effective climate action. Ensuring the integration of health into climate policy protects populations, maximises economic benefits, and builds public support for ambitious climate policies which are so urgently needed.
In October 2026, the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) will launch the latest iteration of the Healthy NDC Scorecards, which provide a global assessment of how comprehensively health is integrated into national climate plans. The Scorecards examine, among other things, references to health impacts and air pollution, health-related actions across sectors, and financial and governance considerations.
By producing a global ranking highlighting where health is being addressed – and where important gaps remain – these scorecards provide policymakers with a tool to identify opportunities to strengthen the health dimension of climate action.
Ahead of COP31, this event will bring together governments, policymakers, international organizations, civil society, and health and climate experts to explore what the findings tell us about the current state of health integration in national climate planning, and what is needed to strengthen it in the next round of NDCs.
SPEAKERS
Welcome remarks: Suerie Moon, Professor of Practice, International Relations & Political Science Department and Director, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute
NDC Scorecard Results: Dr Nova Tebbe, Post Doctoral Researcher, Global Climate and Health Alliance and Climate Solutions for Health Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Panel discussion:
– Amy Savage, PhD, Technical Officer, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization
More speakers will be announced soon.
Past Events
Access to Health Products for Ebola-Bundibugyo: Implications for the PABS Annex
DESCRIPTION
The Global Health Centre invites you to join a webinar on how access to health products is being negotiated amidst the ongoing Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) epidemic and potential implications for the design of the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) Annex.
Over the past several months, the BVD epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has grown faster than any previous Ebola outbreak, with cases also detected in neighboring Uganda, as well as Germany and France. WHO declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in May 2026. With no approved vaccines or therapeutics for BVD and limited diagnostics, ongoing efforts are focusing on assessing the potential of existing products approved for other strains of Ebola, and testing new candidates. As negotiations towards the PABS Annex are poised to resume, what do efforts to advance research and development (R&D), including clinical trials, and to secure equitable access to products for BVD imply for the construction of a future PABS system?
The webinar will begin with an overview of developments and agreements on product R&D and access, followed by a Q&A session with representatives from invited organizations.
SPEAKERS
-
Carmen Pérez Casas, Senior Strategy Lead & Pandemic Preparedness & Response Head, Unitaid
-
Emma Wheatley, Executive Director, Access and Business Development, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
-
Julia Barnes-Weise, Executive Director, Global Healthcare Innovation Alliance Accelerator (GHIAA)
Moderated by Suerie Moon, Professor of Practice, International Relations & Political Science Department and Director, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute
Sharing Pathogen Data in Ebola and Hantavirus Outbreaks: Implications for Pathogen Access and…
DESCRIPTION
The Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute is pleased to invite you to a webinar on how pathogen data was shared during the 2026 Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks, and the implications of these experiences for the design of the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system under the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
The discussion will begin with a concise overview of database policy options and the factors that influence scientists’ choices between open access or restricted-use options, followed by a moderated discussion on the policy implications for PABS.
SPEAKERS
– Emma Hodcroft, Assistant Professor, Swiss TPH, University of Basel, Switzerland.
– Chaoran Chen, Scientific Software Engineer, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
– Isabella Eckerle, Full Professor and Director of the Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Hopitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), Switzerland
– Stephen Kanyerezi, Bioinformatician, The Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL), Uganda
– Eddy K. Lusamaki, Research Physician at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Democratic Republic of the Congo
Moderated by Adam Strobeyko, Legal Advisor & Researcher, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute
The Health of International Law and Organizations: Honoring Professor Gian Luca Burci’s…
DESCRIPTION
Observers warn of a destabilizing erosion in respect for international law and growing concerns on the effectiveness and credibility of international organizations to solve real-world problems. On his first day in office in 2025, President Trump withdrew the US from the World Health Organization spurring a crisis of financing and governance; however, four months later, the remaining Member States adopted the historic Pandemic Agreement showing the vitality of international law and the relevance of international organizations. At this critical juncture, we celebrate Professor Gian Luca Burci’s retirement from the Geneva Graduate Institute, by examining what recent developments in global health portend for the rule of law and global governance.
Over the course of his career, Professor Burci has been a central figure at this intersection. As Legal Counsel of the World Health Organization, he played a key role in some of the most consequential legal and institutional developments in global health, including the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the International Health Regulations, and WHO responses to major public health emergencies. As a scholar and educator, he has built the intellectual foundations of global health law, while mentoring generations of students and practitioners.
The event brings together scholars and practitioners to reflect on the health of international law and organizations to address the profound overlapping crises facing societies today.
SPEAKERS
- Gian Luca Burci, Senior Visiting Professor, International Law, Academic Advisor, Global Health Centre, Director, Joint Geneva Graduate Institute/Georgetown LLM in Global Health Law and Governance
- Suerie Moon, Co-Director, Global Health Centre and Professor of Practice, International Relations, Geneva Graduate Institute
- Nico Krisch, Professor of International Law & Head of the Department of International Law, Geneva Graduate Institute
- Johannes Klabbers, Whewell Professor of International Law, University of Cambridge
- Andrew Clapham, Professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute
Additional speakers will be announced soon.
#WHA79 | From Preparedness to Crisis Response: Ensuring Equitable Access to Medical Countermeasures
DESCRIPTION
This side event will explore how equitable access to medical countermeasures (MCMs) can be strengthened across the full emergency cycle – from preparedness to response.
Discussions will explore how national, regional and global systems can better align to ensure that life-saving health products reach all populations. Participants will examine how existing and future investments in the MCM ecosystem can be structured and governed to deliver both equity and efficiency.
The event takes place at a critical juncture in the evolution of the global health emergency architecture. Pending the entry into force of the Pandemic Agreement, countries have endorsed the WHO interim Medical Countermeasures Network (i-MCM-net) as a pragmatic bridge to advance implementation. The i-MCM-net is intended to support coordination across the global MCM architecture, and align ongoing initiatives.
Against this backdrop, this side event will focus on the work required to operationalize the MCM ecosystem, covering the full range of MCMs – from diagnostics and vaccines to therapeutics, personal protective equipment, oxygen, and other priority health products.
SPEAKERS
Keynote Address | Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director-General, European Commission Directorate-General for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (DG HERA)
- Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Secretary General, International Health Policy Program Foundation and Advisor for Global Health, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
- Matthias Seiche, Head of the Division Health Policy and Financing, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany
- Ifedayo Morayo Adetifa, CEO, FIND – Diagnostics for All
- Maria D. Van Kerkhove, Acting Director of the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Threat Management, World Health Organization
- Aurélia Nguyen, Deputy CEO, CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
Moderator | Suerie Moon, Co-Director, Global Health Centre and Professor of Practice, International Relations, Geneva Graduate Institute
Additional speakers will be announced soon.
CO-HOSTED BY
The Global Health Centre‘s International Geneva Global Health Platform, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority(DG HERA) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
#WHA79 | Are we ready for the next pandemic threat?
DESCRIPTION
At a time when multilateralism is buckling, and pandemic threats remain ever present, this event brings together senior policymakers and global health leaders to consider the critical question: Are we ready for the next pandemic threat?
The world faces a confluence of crises – economic instability, conflicts, climate emergencies, and evolving health security threats. At the same time, geopolitical shifts are reshaping international cooperation, while changing political dynamics and declining funding from long-standing donors have caused profound disruption to the global health and development architecture. This raises uncertainty about whether countries will continue to come together to tackle common threats.
Nonetheless, there are reasons for cautious optimism. The amended International Health Regulations, forged from the lessons of COVID-19, are now in force. Momentum for regional self-reliance is growing. The adoption of the Pandemic Agreement in May 2025 – alongside ongoing negotiation on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex – showed that collective action still commands broad support. But optimism must be earned. Commitments have too often failed to translate into action. Gaps in financing, accountability, and regional manufacturing capacity persist, making us all less safe.
Join the RH Helen Clark and other senior leaders as they explore the state of the world’s readiness to face the next pandemic threat.
SPEAKERS
Opening remarks | Vinh-Kim Nguyen, Co-Director, Global Health Centre and Professor, Anthropology and Sociology, Geneva Graduate Institute
Keynote Address | The Right Hon. Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response
- Hanan Al Kuwari, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Public Health Affairs State of Qatar
- Maria Van Kerkhove, Director (a.i.), Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization
- Els Torreele, Senior Expert in Health Equity, Advisor to The Independent Panel
- Maria Guevara, International Medical Secretary, Médecins Sans Frontières
Moderators
- Ebere Okereke, Advisor to the Director General, Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity
- Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet
Additional speakers will be announced soon.
CO-HOSTED BY
The Global Health Centre‘s International Geneva Global Health Platform and the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.