The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare just how persistent global health inequities are. The Pandemic Accord now being negotiated by member states of the World Health Organization is potentially an important legal framework that can help us narrow these gaps and ensure we are all better prepared to address future health emergencies. The Reform for Resilience Commission urges wealthy nations meeting at the G7 2023 Summit this week to…
Statement on World Health Assembly 2023
In the coming days, public health leaders from around the globe will gather in Geneva to set priorities and budgets for the World Health Organization’s efforts to build a healthier world. The Reform for Resilience Commission applauds all who are engaged in the World Health Assembly’s meaningful work and urges them to prioritize a simple but effective tool: hygiene. Study after study has shown that good hygiene can help…
Building healthier, more resilient societies to tackle global threats
August 2, 2022 – The Reform for Resilience Commission (R4R) has a lofty goal—to help ensure healthier and resilient growth everywhere amid dire global threats such as COVID-19 and climate change. Patricia Geli, a former World Bank economist and research scientist in Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Department of Global Health and Population, is executive director of R4R’s Americas Hub and Secretariat, both based at the School. Here, she discusses the Commission’s work. READ MORE
Featured Statement: the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting, 2023
As global stakeholders gather to tackle societal challenges at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos this week, the Reform for Resilience Commission urges government and business leaders to elevate health as a key driver of economic success. This is a complex moment, with multiple economic and geopolitical challenges set against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, rising food insecurity, and a rapidly warming planet. Clearly, it is a…
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To lift the status of women and girls, we need better data — now
by Patricia Geli The fragility of gender equity within societies across the globe is more obvious today than it has been in years. The World Economic Forum estimates the pandemic created a step back of nearly 40 years in progress toward parity for women and girls. The World Bank reports about 2.4 billion women of working age are not afforded equal economic opportunity and 178 countries maintain legal barriers that…
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Statement on G-20 Meeting for Reform for Resilience Commission
As the G20 assembles to confront global challenges, the Reform for Resilience Commission urges participants to improve support for a vital contributor to societal resilience and economic growth: mental health and well-being. Across the globe, nearly one billion people are struggling with some form of mental health disorder—including one in seven teenagers. The pandemic has only exacerbated this crisis, as widespread health worries and economic uncertainty fueled sharp increases in…
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Statement on COP27
The climate crisis is having a profound impact on the health of nations. Droughts and extreme weather events are threatening the lives of people everywhere. Our water and food supplies are at risk, and infectious diseases are becoming more frequent. World leaders gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh for the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference must address this crisis. Last year, delegates at COP26 in Glasgow started to bring health into…
Statement from the Commission Co-Chairs
COVID-19 has revealed that the world was unprepared for a pandemic. We had every reason to anticipate a pandemic but neglected to adequately invest in developing and maintaining global health systems resilience. Consequently, the COVID-19 pandemic should serve as a wake-up call to global leaders every bit as significant—and urgent—as the ongoing climate emergency and the Global Financial Crisis of more than a decade ago. They are linked. The pandemic,…