Speaker: Nils Daulaire, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway/Harvard School of Public Health

Dr Daulaire will discuss key achievements and failures of these efforts over the past half century, with special focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. With the toll of the global COVID-19 pandemic approaching 3 million deaths in 192 countries and new and dangerous variants emerging constantly, the need for concerted global action has never been greater. This calls for not only a thoughtful public health approach but also diplomacy to bring coherence from the range of disparate and self-interested national responses. This is not the first time global health diplomacy has been called for - from the smallpox eradication program to Millennium Development Goals and more recently efforts to unify global health security, understanding and agreement between nations requires an appreciation for the political as well as the epidemiological aspects of response to these societal challenges. This talk will provide a brief history of global health diplomacy in the era of globalization and discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by 21st century pandemics.