Speakers

Mercy Juma - Moderator

Helen Clark - PMNCH Board Chair

Dr Jean-Jacques Mbungani, Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention, Democratic Republic of Congo

Dr. Jean Jacques Mbungani has 30 years of professional experience as a medical practitioner. He began his career in Belgium where he studied at the University of Notre Dame Our Lady of Peace and at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Continuing in Belgium, he worked in several hospitals as a general practitioner before establishing his own medical practice, initially in Belgium, and subsequently in the DRC. His experience and his commitment resulted in his appointment as Minister for Health Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Prevention in April 2021.

Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, UNFPA

Aya Hrout, Jordan Youth Innovation Forum

Aya Hrout is the Program Director at a local NGO that aims to empower youth. She is an Associate Member of the Charted Institution for Personnel and Development and has a Master's degree in Strategic HRM. One of her main contributions in the area of SRMNCAH is developing solid policies to ensure the total protection of beneficiaries. Such as; Child Protection and Safeguarding and Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy (PSEAH). Mental health has also been a significant part of the policies. As well as providing training to staff and volunteers in direct contact with adolescents and refugees to ensure they maintain a healthy environment for beneficiaries where they can learn, grow and develop skills with no harm. Where she believes: "Policies are not only written words, they are the foundation of sustainable best practice."

Wais Qarani, President, Afghanistan Nurses and Midwives Council

Shawn K Baker, Chief Nutritionist, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

Shawn K. Baker serves as the Chief Nutritionist for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He chairs the Agency’s Nutrition Leadership Council, oversees the vision and strategy of the Agency’s Center for Nutrition, and coordinates related efforts across USAID. He also guides USAID’s investments and partner engagement.

Prior to joining USAID, Mr. Baker was the first Director of nutrition at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has over 30 years’ experience in global public health nutrition, including 25 years living in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Yana Panfilova, Teenergizer, Ukraine

H.E. Kersti Kaljulaid, UN SG’s Global Advocate for Every Woman Every Child, Former President of Estonia

Kersti Kaljulaid served as the President of the Republic of Estonia from 2016-2021. During her time in office, she made her presence felt in both her homeland and the international arena..

Over the years, President Kaljulaid has robustly defended the principles underlying our society: democracy, human rights, equal treatment and freedom of speech.  One of the principles of her own time in office has been the one she set out upon her inauguration: “I am never silent when our security is in question, when our freedoms are at stake or when those weaker than us are treated unjustly.”

In summer 2021, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed President Kaljulaid to the position of Global Advocate for the ‘Every Woman Every Child’ strategy on the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents around the world for the next two years. The head of state was also the first Estonian to be selected by the prestigious magazine Forbes as one of the world’s 100 most influential women.

Ted Chaiban, Global Lead Coordinator for COVID Vaccine Country Readiness and Delivery, UNICEF, WHO, GAVI

Dr Margaret Agama-Anyete, Acting director, Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development at the African Union

Dr Margaret Agama-Anyetei is the Acting Director for Health, Humanitarian Affairs, and Social Development, and Head of the Health, Nutrition and Population Division of the Department for Social Affairs at the African Union. A senior medical doctor with specialty in clinical and neuro-psychology, she has extensive experience working with marginalized and vulnerable populations particularly women and children and key populations in conflict and humanitarian settings. She has wide management and field experience in various national, regional and international settings. She has a very strong clinical and advocacy background in the area of HIV and AIDS. She has also worked in areas of Health policy development, Advocacy and Policy and Strategic development in the areas of HIV/AIDS and in the integration of Gender, HIV and AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health. Over the past 30 years she has held several managerial positions at national level, within the UN system and at the African Union Commission.

Ms. Meerjady Sabrina Flora, Additional Director General (Planning & Research), Directorate General of Health Services, Government of Bangladesh

Prof. Dr. Meerjady Sabrina Flora is Director General of the Government of Bangladesh Directorate General of Health Services (Planning and Development) and Chair of One Health Bangladesh. She is a member of the One Health Poultry Hub’s Advisory Board. She is a physician, professor of epidemiology and public health specialist. Previously, she headed the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), the apex center for conducting disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, disease control, epidemic prevention and research in Bangladesh. She is a fellow of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research. She is also the vice president of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes.

Prof. Dr. Rowshan Ara Begum, Senior Gynaecology & Obstetrics specialist, former President Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society, Bangladesh

Prof. Dr. Rowshan Ara Begum if the former Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is the past President of Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB), and the Vice-President of the South Asia Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She also serves as the Councilor of the Bangladesh College of Physician & Surgeons and the Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council. Prof. Rowshan is the focal point for the Mentorship Program UNFPA and a member of the National Advisory Technical Committee for COVID-19 in Bangladesh.

Dr. Ezatullah Majeed, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Dr. Ezatullah Majeed, Chief of Field Office UNICEF Cox’s Bazar. Majeed has been based in Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh since July 2020 and has worked for UNICEF for over 20 years. Dr. Majeed has served UNICEF in  Afghanistan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Sudan, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Somalia, in different capacities including Chief of Health, Chief of Nutrition and Chief of Field Offices. Majeed is a medical doctor, has a diploma in nutrition and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Planning. Dr. Majeed is a national of Afghanistan based in Canada.

Chipo Chimamise, Deputy Director, Maternal and Reproductive Health in the Ministry of Health  and Child Care Zimbabwe

Chipo Chimamise is a Public Health Specialist with extensive experience in sexual and reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health including developing, coordinating and conducting trainings and development of training material. She is currently the National Maternal Health Officer with the Ministry of Health and Child Care based at the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Head Office-Harare, Family Health Department, Reproductive Health unit supported by the Health Development Fund through UNFPA. She has a played a lead role in development and adaptation of national strategic documents, and coordinates different national programs funded by various UN agencies which include the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNFPA and CDC in the areas of sexual and reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health as well as HIV/AIDS. Previously she has worked as the Provincial Manager for Zimbabwe national Family Planning Council providing leadership in human resources, financial and programs management and participated in the development and launching of national strategies on cervical cancer screening and adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

Itai Rusike, Executive Director, Community Working Group on Health

Itai is a public health activist with over 20 years’ experience organizing involvement of communities in health actions in Zimbabwe.  He joined the Community Working Group on Health in Zimbabwe at its inception in early 1998 and is now the Executive Director. He is the immediate past Deputy-Chairperson of the Public Health Advisory Board in Zimbabwe and the Advisory Group for the UHC2030 Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM). He is a Board Member for the World AIDS Campaign (WACI Health), Global Fund Advocates Network (GFAN) Africa, the WHO Social Participation Technical Network (SPTN) and Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Global Financing Facility (GFF CSO Platform). He is also a member of the National Maternal Deaths Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) Committee,  a Steering Committee Member of the Regional Network for Equity in Health in east and southern Africa (EQUINET), and co-ordinates the Social Empowerment Cluster for Primary Health Care oriented health systems.

Clarissa Regede, Board Member, Youth Engage

Clarisa Regede is a public policy specialist with 7 year’s experience of working on diverse humanitarian issues in multi-cultural contexts. She is a long-standing meaningful youth engagement advocate and serves as a board member for Youth Engage Zimbabwe.  She has worked with World Vision International in Zimbabwe covering grant management, in sectors which include disaster preparedness and response, education in emergencies, refugee response, health, nutrition, protection, food security and livelihoods programming. She has served as an adviser on meaningful youth engagement initiatives for young people in Zimbabwe and globally, and has worked with philanthropies and donors, that include the Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Clarisa holds a a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from SOAS University of London, and she is a fellow of the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship for 2021 representing Zimbabwe in the Civic Leadership track at Kansas State University.

Juan Pablo Uribe, Global Director for Health Nutrition and Population at the World Bank and Director of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents

Juan Pablo Uribe, MD, is the Global Director for Health Nutrition and Population at the World Bank and Director of the Global Financing Facility for Women Children and Adolescents (GFF). Previously, Mr. Uribe was the CEO of Healthcare Providers for UnitedHealthcare/Banmédica for Chile and Peru and served from 2018 to 2019 as Minister of Health and Social Protection of Colombia. Prior to that, he was the Director General of the Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, a leading organization in Colombia working in health care, health education and public health.  Between 2009 and 2011, he was the World Bank´s Health Sector Manager for East Asia and the Pacific. In his career, first as a medical doctor specializing in public health and public administration, and later in both public and private sector organizations, Mr. Uribe has contributed significantly to the development of public health, health systems and public policies.

Lisa Hilmi, Executive Director, CORE Group

Lisa Hilmi is Executive Director of CORE Group, based in Washington DC. CORE Group convenes the International Community Health Network, a community of practice fueled by more than 200+ member organizations and individual associates that are champions for community health, together with advocates, scholars, private sector, multilateral/global alliance representatives and others. CORE Group advances the field of community-focused health programming and equity through knowledge management and capacity building, programmatic impact and collaborative response, across the world, with a reach of over 250,000+.

Helga Fogstad, PMNCH Executive Director

Helga Fogstad is the Executive Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH). Strongly committed to human rights, public health and gender issues, Ms. Fogstad has extensive experience in forging partnerships for the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents. She is a health economist with more than 30 years of public health experience, which includes developing countries at the sub-national, national and global levels.

Prior to PMNCH, Ms. Fogstad was the Director of the Department of Global Health, Education and Research at the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), where she guided the rapid scale-up of proven cost-effective interventions focused on the health MDGs for women and children. In this capacity, she was actively engaged in political mobilization and advocacy initiatives, including the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health