Meeting Notes

Participants

Co-Chairs: Dr Mercy Mwangangi, Former Chief Administrative Secretary, Kenyan Ministry of Health; John-Arne Røttingen, Global Health Ambassador, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Steering Group members and alternates: Ayah Nayfeh, Global Affairs Canada; Dr Ruth Nigatu, Ministry of Health, Ethiopia; Dr Satoshi Ezoe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan; Claire Moran, FCDO, UK; Nidhi Bouri, USAID; Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, Africa CDC; Gabriella Fésüs, DG International Partnerships, European Commission; RD Marte, APCASO; Oswaldo Adolfo Rada Londoño, Senderos Asociación Mutual; Sue Graves, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Alex Harris, Wellcome.

Observers: Tara Prasad, Supply Division, UNICEF; Hajime Inoue, Health, Nutrition, and Population, World Bank; Hendrik Schmitz-Guinote, Office of the Chef de Cabinet, WHO.

Commitments Task Team Co-Chairs: Gerald Manthalu, Ministry of Health, Malawi; Jo Scott-Nicholls, FCDO.

Secretariat: Linda Muller.

Regrets

Roman Macaya, Costa Rica: Dr Roger Kamba, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Ghana Health Service; Ibu Penny Dewi Herasati, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia; Desta Lakew, Amref Health Africa.

Objectives

The objectives of the meeting were for the Steering Group:

• to discuss preliminary SG feedback on the draft Reimagining the Future of Global Health Initiatives report, its findings and recommendations, and the pathway to the final report

• to explore how Steering Group members and partners can now work together to agree on a set of commitments for collective action by year-end.

Discussion on the draft Reimagining the Future of Global Health Initiatives report

Steering Group members are engaging with the draft report and many have sent/will be sending feedback to the research consortium. Informal feedback shared on the call included an observation of the qualitative nature of the report, underpinned by a valuable consultative process, with less focus on quantitative evidence-generation. Suggestions were made to differentiate country typologies and to thematically package the recommendations, also articulating those that are short- vs long-term and highlighting interdependencies.

While the Pandemic Fund was out of scope of the report, it was acknowledged that as the FGHI process moves from the research findings and recommendations to commitments for collective action, the Fund should be factoring into Steering Group reflections. The synergies between UHC and pandemic preparedness were highlighted as was the opportunity for GHIs to be driving primary health care and plugging more into country systems. Financing sustainability was highlighted as an issue meriting additional attention. Two members called for Steering Group members to not focus only on “low-hanging fruit” as they develop their commitments. Global public goods, R&D and market shaping were rarely called out as areas that needed fundamental shifts and may warrant a more dedicated discussion. It was pointed out that some recommendations may already be embedded in the strategies of the GHIs, and that it would be useful to highlight this and that Steering Group members working with GHIs to drive for implementation would be important.

It was agreed that the Reimagining the Future of Global Health Initiatives report is an important, but not the only, research input into the FGHI process and that the Commitments Task Team would have an important role to play to consider other inputs.

Steering Group members referred to how they are socializing the FGHI process and draft research findings internally, with one highlighting how they have created a task team of institutional focal points for Gavi, the Global Fund and the GFF and how they have briefed at the Ministerial level and were sharing the draft report with geographic regions. The Co-Chairs welcomed this comprehensive approach.

Noting that the FGHI process is now pivoting to Steering Group members and others working to align around a set of commitments for collective action to better support countries in their trajectories to UHC, the Co-Chairs called on all Steering Group members to join in socializing the FGHI process and eventual evolving FGHI commitments internally and to engage other stakeholders in the process.

Discussion on working toward commitments for collective action: Commitments Task Team

The establishment of the Commitments Task Team was welcomed by Steering Group members and the discussion focused on how best to engage GHIs in the process, in the lead-up to, and after, Wilton Park.

There was agreement on the importance of structured engagement with GHIs over the coming months, to ensure Task Team and Steering Group discussions are grounded in operational reality. There was also consensus that alternatives to full membership of the GHIs on the Task Team were best. A proposal was made for GHIs to be asked to nominate a representative to be part of a reference group/extended Task Team, for the Task Team to share ideas with and to hear feedback from. It was suggested that the SDG 3 GAP’s Sustainable Financing for Health Accelerator could be another mechanism to engage GHIs, though whether this should be the main way should be up to the GHIs.

Upcoming stakeholder engagement moments

In discussing the series of August-December events along the pathway from research report to a set of FGHI recommendations for collective action, the importance of Steering Group members coming together in person (also with other stakeholders) was noted. The two core moments are the 4-6 October Wilton Park dialogue to develop a draft of commitments for collective action and the companion meeting on 26 November in Lusaka in the margins of the Conference on Public Health in Africa to align on a final set of commitments and a post-2023 accountability mechanism. Meetings in between could be virtual/hybrid.

The Co-Chairs’ proposal to brief the boards of Gavi and the Global Fund was welcomed and outreach to other GHI boards and their board chairs was encouraged. The overview of upcoming opportunities to build political momentum was welcomed and Japan in particular noted opportunities during UNGA.

The Secretariat was urged to develop a plan to ensure effective messaging and communication to key stakeholders during these events. This will help Steering Group members reach out to a wider audience and disseminate the FGHI’s vision and recommendations effectively.

Next steps

Steering Group members were encouraged to send their feedback on the draft report to the research consortium by 21 July

The next virtual Steering Group meeting will take place 14 September 2023 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm CET.