Darren Welch, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Government of the United Kingdom

Darren Welch is Director of Global Health at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He leads and co-ordinates the Department’s work to respond the health impacts of C-19, to build better global preparedness against future pandemics and to deliver on the UK Government’s commitment to work towards ending preventable deaths and achieving SDG 3 . Darren’s Directorate oversees the UK’s ODA investments in the main global health funds and the WHO, supports ACT-A and COVAX, and champions SRHR as part of a comprehensive approach to healthcare that meets the needs of women and girls. In his previous role as Policy Director, Darren oversaw DFID’s work on climate and environment. Darren joined the former Department for International Development in 2007 where he had several roles, including running the UK aid programme in Tanzania from 2008-2011. He also spent four years as a senior diplomat at the UK’s Representation to the EU, responsible for policy on Trade, Development, Africa, Asia & the Americas. From 2015-16 he led on the humanitarian aspects of resettling 20,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees in the UK. Earlier in his career Darren worked in the Prime Minister’s Performance and Innovation Unit. He is a Board Director of the Global Innovation Fund.