The 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is a critical gathering for global health, with representatives from across the Vaccine Alliance working together to improve the health and wellbeing for millions of people worldwide.
Key themes in 2018
High-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
This year, the third high-level meeting on NCDs will undertake a comprehensive review of the global and national progress achieved in putting measures in place to protect people from premature death due to heart and lung diseases, cancers and diabetes.
Vaccines play a frontline role in protecting people from NCDs, in particular through the hepatitis b and human papillomavirus vaccines, preventing liver and cervical cancer respectively.
Read the Gavi statement from the high-level NCD meeting
High-level meeting on the fight to end tuberculosis (TB)
What is the UNGA?
UNGA is the democratic heart of the UN, a forum for decision-making where all 193 member states each have a single vote.
It is the main global gathering for discussing international political cooperation, threats to peace and economic development, as well as the huge range of social, humanitarian and cultural issues that come under the UN's remit.
Meanwhile, the first ever high-level meeting on the fight to end TB could be a watershed moment in the effort to end TB and deliver Sustainable Development Goal 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.
Read the Gavi statement from the high-level TB meeting
Tackling the refugee and migration crisis will be high on the agenda, as leaders and diplomats seek to reach consensus on the world’s very first compacts on refugees and migration.
Global peace will also feature prominently. On 24 September, UNGA will host the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit, a high-level plenary meeting on global peace in honor of the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela. There will also be several events to honor deceased Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
Key events for Gavi
UNGA is a critical opportunity for the Vaccine Alliance to strengthen collaboration and ensure that immunisation remains high on the agenda.
- Averting future disease outbreaks
A high-level event hosted by the UAE to galvanise support for preventing disease outbreaks. Chaired by Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, and moderated by Gavi CEO Dr Seth Berkley, the panel features Alistair Burt, UK Minister of State for International Development and Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Dr. Idi Illiassou Mainassara, Minister of Public Health of Niger; Christopher Elias, President of the Global Development Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Eduardo Martinez, President of the UPS Foundation.
"...this is why we gather here today, to highlight the importance of urgent collaboration, innovation and investment to address disease threats and prevent future outbreaks."
Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy,
UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation
Read the UAE press release - UHC leaves no one behind: working together towards good health & well-being for all
Immunisation is part of our health care foundation, and forms an integral part of the Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) agenda. - UHC in emergencies
Gavi works to ensure vaccines still reach people living on the frontlines of humanitarian crises, and emphasises the need for strong and sustainable national health systems. - Girl Effect: empowering girls with mobile
Prominent experts discuss ways to harness opportunities for mobile technology to transform girls' lives. - Solve challenge finals
An innovative approach to development financing and the SDGs can solve some of the world's most complex challenges. - World free of cervical cancer
Co-hosted by WHO and the Government of Zambia, this event will discuss cervical cancer prevention, for which the HPV vaccine plays a critical role in cervical cancer control. - Preparing for the next epidemic
This WHO, World Bank and WEF hosted meeting showcases progress on cross-sector partnerships that are strengthening epidemic readiness. - Tackling the scandal of preventable child deaths: financing for child survival 2030
A plan of action to ensure the global and domestic health and nutrition financing architecture is equipped to end preventable child deaths by 2030. - Global Compact on Refugees
Ensuring access to vaccines for children in fragile settings. - Climate change and health
High-level roundtable discussion on the health and humanitarian impacts of climate change. - Independent Accountability Panel for Every Woman Every Child
Gavi works with the private sector to find innovative solutions for vaccine delivery.