Watch: Devex’s 74th World Health Assembly event series

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, and amid an unprecedented vaccine rollout and pressure for World Health Organization reform, this year’s World Health Assembly may be one of the most pressing in recent history.

Join Devex to dig into these issues and more over several days of events, with exclusive interviews, expert analysis, and insider coverage of the week’s most important conversations.

Thursday, May 27

3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. ET)

Opening remarks with Devex reporters, Vince Chadwick and Jenny Lei Ravelo.

3:05 p.m. CET (9:05 a.m. ET)

Fireside chat: Building capacity in LMICs with Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, with CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett.

+ Read: CEPI CEO: Concerted effort needed to build LMIC vaccine manufacturing

3:20 p.m. CET (9:20 a.m. ET)

Panel: Strengthening the WHO.

Speakers:
• Amanda Glassman, executive vice president and director for global health policy, Center for Global Development.
• Björn Kümmel, deputy head of the division global health, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health.
• Suerie Moon, co-director, Global Health Centre, Graduate Institute of International & Development Studies.

Moderator:
• Jenny Lei Ravelo, senior reporter, Devex.

+ Read: ‘New momentum’ to overhaul WHO financing

3:50 p.m. CET (9:50 a.m. ET)

Spotlight: Expanding access to medicines: lessons from a pharmaceutical company with Gilead Chief Commercial Officer, Johanna Mercier. In partnership with Gilead.

4:05 p.m. CET (10:05 a.m. ET)

Fireside Chat: Health Systems of the Future: What We’ve Learned from COVID.

Speakers:
• Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, vice chancellor, University of Global Health Equity.
• Prashant Yadav, senior fellow, Center for Global Development.
• Raj Kumar, president & editor-in-chief, Devex.

+ Read: Rethinking supply chains for vaccines and other health products

4:25 p.m. CET (10:25 a.m. ET)

Closing remarks with Devex reporters, Vince Chadwick and Jenny Lei Ravelo.

Wednesday, May 26

3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. ET)

Opening remarks with Devex reporters, Vince Chadwick and Amruta Byatnal.

3:05 p.m. CET (9:05 a.m. ET)

Fireside chat: Combatting vaccine misinformation with London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine professor of anthropology, risk and decision science, Dr. Heidi Larson.

+ Read: Heidi Larson: Holistic approach vital to vaccine confidence

3:20 p.m. CET (9:20 a.m. ET)

Spotlight: Vaccinating the world, with AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot and Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar. In partnership with AstraZeneca

+ Read: AstraZeneca eyes donations to fill vaccine supply gap amid India demand

3:35 p.m. CET (9:35 a.m. ET)

Panel: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Africa.

Speakers:
• Anstes Agnew, head of health systems at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
• Dr. Richard Mihigo, immunization and vaccine development programme coordinator at WHO Regional Office for Africa.
• Dr. Austin Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone.

Moderator:
• Sara Jerving, reporter, Devex.

+ Read: Supply challenges may put Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine success at risk

4:05 p.m. CET (10:05 a.m. ET)

Fireside chat: The battle over COVID-19 vaccine IP rights with IFPMA director general, Thomas Cueni, medical activist and lawyer, Ellen t’Hoen, and Devex reporter, Amruta Byatnal.

+ Read: The battle for COVID-19 vaccine IP rights: ‘We need all hands on deck’

4:25 p.m. CET (10:25 a.m. ET)

Closing remarks with Devex reporters, Vince Chadwick and Amruta Byatnal.

Tuesday, May 25

3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. ET)
Opening remarks with Devex reporters Vince Chadwick and Jenny Lei Ravelo.

3:05 p.m. CET (9:05 a.m. ET)

Fireside Chat: Preparing for the next pandemic, with Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response co-chair Helen Clark and Devex reporter Jenny Lei Ravelo.

+ Read: Helen Clark: WHO shouldn’t be ‘crying wolf every other day’

3:20 p.m. CET (9:20 a.m. ET)
Panel: A deep dive into the Independent Panel’s recommendations.

Speakers:
• Dr. Ambrose Talisuna, regional adviser for the International Health Regulations and global health security, WHO Regional Office for Africa.
• Chandrika Bahadur, director, SDG Academy.
• Gabrielle Fitzgerald, co-founder, Pandemic Action Network.

Moderator:
• Jenny Lei Ravelo, reporter, Devex.

+ For Devex Pro readers: Political leadership, advance planning key to pandemic preparedness

3:40 p.m. CET (9:40 a.m. ET)
Spotlight: How health systems are being strengthened through data to become more predictive, with Dr. Ann Aerts, head of the Novartis Foundation, and Devex reporter Catherine Cheney. In partnership with the Novartis Foundation.

3:55 p.m. CET (9:55 a.m. ET)
Spotlight: The role of essential diagnostics in managing NCDs, with Lena Wahlhed, director of alliance development at HemoCue, and Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar. In partnership with HemoCue.

4:05 p.m. CET (10:05 a.m. ET)
Panel: What makes mRNA technology a potential game changer for global health?

Speakers:
• Helen Fletcher, professor in immunology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
• Dr. Jerome Kim, director general, International Vaccine Institute.

Moderator:
• Rumbi Chakamba, associate editor, Devex.

+ Read: Is mRNA technology a game changer for global health?

4:25 p.m. CET (10:25 a.m. ET)
Closing remarks with Devex reporters Vince Chadwick and Jenny Lei Ravelo.

Join us live on YouTube.