Event

Fireside chat: A conversation with key global health leaders

global health leaders event

Join us in this fireside chat, featuring guest María Fernanda Espinosa and host Dr Justin Koonin.

Tuesday May 16th 4pm AEST Sydney, 2pm CST China, 11.30am IST India, 8am CET, 7am GMT

Created with key global events happening overseas later this year in mind, this event is designed to bring leaders in global health to a local, broad, civil society and academic audience. You will have the opportunity to hear directly from some of the people at the forefront of global health discussions and raise questions and ideas which could motivate advocacy on the global stage.

For example, the UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will be held in New York on 21st September 2023 and is a key milestone to take stock of progress, as well as challenges, and is an opportunity for the world’s leaders to recommit to the goal of health for all.

Ahead of that event, this discussion will provide an informal setting for discussion. You will hear speakers’ views on the ideal focus for the next period, and you will have the opportunity to raise your perspectives. It will also be an opportunity to hear about the personal background and motivations of the speakers – how they became involved in global health, and why.

To help plan, in the event registration, there is an opportunity to add a question or topic you would like to see addressed. Questions will also be invited during the event.

Partners:

UHC2030, The Kirby Institute, The George Institute for Global Health

Speakers

  • Featured Guest: María Fernanda Espinosa

    María Fernanda Espinosa is an Ecuadorian academic, diplomat, politician, and linguist with over 30 years of experience in academia, NGOs, international organizations, and high-level government positions. As President of the United Nations General Assembly, she became the fourth woman in history and the first from Latin America and the Caribbean to preside over this global forum. In Ecuador, she served twice as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Culture and Heritage. Currently, Espinosa has several advisory roles, including Executive Director of GWL Voices for Change and Inclusion; Lead Political Advisor of the Universal Health Coverage 2030 Movement; Co-chair of the Coalition for the UN We Need; Advisor to Club de Madrid, Member of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Member of the Taskforce on Nature Markets; Member of the Board of Patrons at the World Sustainability Forum; UBUNTU Advisor for United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG); and Member of the High-Level Advisory Council for the United Nations Alliance of Civilization

    María Fernanda Espinosa
  • Host: Dr Justin Koonin

    Justin is co-chair of the Steering Committee of UHC2030, the international multi-stakeholder partnership for universal health coverage, and is a member of multiple WHO expert panels. At a national level, Justin is president of ACON (AIDS Council of New South Wales), Australia’s largest community organisation dedicated to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support, as well as to the health of sexuality and gender diverse people more broadly. He is Distinguished Fellow and Honorary Professorial Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, as well as a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Justin's training is in the field of pure mathematics, and he currently works as an investment analyst.

    Justin Koonin