On World Hepatitis Day 2024, WHO is organizing a global webinar on the campaign theme It's time for action, and sub-theme Global hepatitis response: Closing the gap towards the 2030 elimination goals. This broad theme highlights the fact that progress, as well as action, have stalled and that the global health community needs to get back on track toward viral hepatitis elimination by 2030.
This global webinar will provide spotlights and country progress on access from communities, and partners, as well as new approaches for increased case finding for hepatitis B and C and for transforming the hepatitis B response to a public health approach. It will feature high level international and national leaders with participation of Ministers of Health, national programme managers and policy makers, UN organizations, implementation agencies and regional and country office colleagues as well as civil society and people with lived experience and other partners.
It is time for action to accelerate the reduction in new hepatitis infections, stem the decreasing mortality and aid countries in achieving the goal of elimination by 2030.
Date and time
Monday 29 July 2024, 12:30 – 14:30 pm (CEST)
Registration
Agenda
Co-Chairs: Dr Meg Doherty, Director, WHO Global HIV, Hepatitis and STIs Programmes, and Hon Dr Malik M Bharat, Coordinator to the Prime Minister, NHSRC, Pakistan
Introduction | Dr Meg Doherty, WHO, Geneva Dr Malik M Bharat, Coordinator to the Prime Minister, NHSRC, Pakistan |
Welcome remarks & opening address | Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO Dr Hanan Balkhy, Regional Director, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern-Mediterranean Anwar Alvi, community representative from Pakistan |
High level ministerial remarks | Dr Malik M Bharat, Coordinator to the Prime Minister, Pakistan Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, Egypt Mr Asilbek Khudayarov, Acting Minister of Health, Uzbekistan Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services, Namibia |
Updates from WHO Regions | China, Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand and Uzbekistan |
Panel 1 – Solutions to close the gaps in hepatitis response | Expanding public health access for Hepatitis B & C – Dr Funmi Lesi, Team Lead, Global Hepatitis Programme, WHO, Geneva Strategies and tools to Increase case finding and diagnosis – Dr Niklas Luhmann, Technical Officer, Global Hepatitis Programme, WHO, Geneva |
Panel 2 – Strategic Partnerships and new initiatives towards 2030 hepatitis goals | Simbarashe Mabaya, Senior Technical Advisor for PHC, GAVI Ann Lindstrand, Unit Head, Essential Programme on Immunization, WHO, Geneva Amir Shroufi, Senior Disease Advisor, Global Fund Charles Gore, Executive director, Medicine Patent Pool Dave Ripin, Executive Vice President, Clinton Health Access Initiative Rachel Halford, President, World Hepatitis Alliance Carolyn Wester, Director, Division of Viral Hepatitis, US CDC John Ward, Director, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination |
Closing remarks | Reflections from civil society Dr Jérôme Salomon, Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage/Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases, WHO, Geneva |