FEATURING
H.E. Amira El Fadil, Commissioner for Social Affairs, Africa Union Commission
Seth Berkley, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Peter Sands, Executive Director, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
MODERATOR
Masood Ahmed, President, Center for Global Development
ABOUT THE EVENT
Africa is home to 16 percent of the world’s population and carries 24 percent of the world’s disease burden but accounts for just 1 percent of global health spending. 54 of the 55 African Union (AU) member states have now reported cases of COVID-19; Africa could likely be the next epicenter of the outbreak. Ensuring that health financing is mobilized quickly and effectively to support national responses and essential health services across Africa is of paramount importance.
The AU and the African CDC are providing regional leadership and coordination to contain COVID-19, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria—two of the largest multilateral financing mechanisms for global health—have adapted quickly to help recipient countries respond to the outbreak and mitigate the impact on their respective mandates. As national governments manage the spread of the virus, there are risks that essential services, such as immunization, HIV, TB, and malaria programs, may be crowded out, potentially threatening hard-won gains in access and outcomes for some of the world’s poorest.
Join the AU, Gavi, and the Global Fund for an online discussion hosted by the Center for Global Development on the key issues and challenges currently facing Africa. Speakers will highlight how their organizations are working together to meet the needs of African countries and review current opportunities for support. Speakers will also envision the post-COVID world for global health, including the most promising ways forward to realize aspirations towards universal health coverage and the SDGs.
If you have questions for our panelists, please submit them to events@cgdev.org, tweet @CGDev #CGDTalks, or submit your comments via YouTube.
