Global Health
Marvin Center Room 307, 800 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC
Friday, November 4, 2005, 1:30 PM
Panelists
- Ann Florini, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
- Ruth Levine, Director of Programs and Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development
- David Molyneux, Director of the Lymphatic Filariasis Support Centre, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Tropical Health Sciences at the University of Liverpool
Moderator
- John J. Forrer, Director, GW Center for the Study of Globalization
Media
Panel Presentation
Global Health and Infectious Disease: Challenging and Rethinking the Paradigms
Dr. David Molyneux
Panel Summary
Increased travel and migration of people, and greater global trade and global production, are increasing the risks and the awareness of the desultory effects of global diseases. The "Big Three" (HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria), new pandemic threats (avian flu, SARS), re-emergent diseases (polio), and neglected tropical diseases all overwhelm our current capacity, policies, and funding. What new approaches to global health can integrate efficacious efforts towards prevention and treatment and reduce the risk of global-scale epidemics? What is the importance of Global Governance in delivering global health solutions? Panelists considered these, and other related questions.
Paradigms of Global Health
Both Ruth Levine and David Molyneux addressed the topic of global health from more specific aspects of the larger theme. Levine spoke about global supply chains for essential health products, such as HIV/AIDS drugs, ACTs for malaria, bednets, and commodities like condoms. Infectious disease was the subject of the talk given by Molyneux. He focused on bringing about a change in how people view the current state of global infectious diseases, and how policies are created and implemented with regard to those worldwide problems.
Ruth Levine discussed the importance of the well-functioning supply chain in providing global health products. Ultimately, she believes that the amount of money or expertise invested in developing a cutting-edge vaccine is irrelevant if that vaccine is not delivered to consumers who need it. Levine addressed the four main problems facing the global supply chain. These problems include poor demand forecasting, complex and inefficient regulations, sub-optimal financing and procurement, and problems in the final distribution stages. She offered the following recommendations for improving the global supply chain: the mobilization of better data and market research, borrowing from the best practices of demand forecasting methods used by private pharmaceutical companies, better institutional arrangements to align advocacy goals and demand forecasting, the reevaluation of the roles of the WHO and in-country authorities in determining local health needs, and finally, a longer-term planning for effective procurement and financing of health products.
David Molyneux addressed global infectious diseases, and how global approaches need to change in order to effectively address these issues. He stated that the importance of financing, partnerships, chronic disease burden, and global health initiatives far outweigh the issues of communicable and emerging diseases, but the latter are typically more focused upon in the global health debate. Molyneux claims that the policies of global health are driven globally by people who think in the medical paradigm of treatment, while the paradigms of prevention and public health are more effective ways of addressing and eliminating global health problems. As a community, we must create environments which foster good health, while also encouraging public-private partnerships and cost-effectiveness of interventions.
While Levine and Molyneux, the first two panelists, spoke on these specific aspects of global health, the final panelist—Ann Florini—took a step back from those specific topics and spoke to the more overarching theme of Global Governance. She emphasized a ‘more pragmatic’ paradigm from which to view global health.
Global Health and Global Governance
Ann Florini gave a broad overview of how well the world is doing with regard to global governance, and specifically the progress being made on global goals, such as the Millennium Goals. She claims that our system of global governance is clearly faltering, as illustrated by the failure to meet the goals. A lack of accountability, an absence of a clear chain of command in carrying out global initiatives, and an unrealistic time frame for achieving the global goals are all faulted by Florini. In order to address the current failure of global governance, she emphasized the establishment and rehabilitation of international institutions. Florini flawed the use of these institutions as devices for addressing global concerns because there is no system of democracy on a global scale. While implementing a better UN or a “global Parliament” are out of our reach at this point, she described the fundamentals of a democracy as participation, accountability and transparency of the system.
In positing possible approaches to collaboration on global problem-solving, Florini had several suggestions. First, participation in multi-stakeholder processes can help build and maintain consensuses. Second, she discussed the importance of monitoring and greater global transparency. Florini also promoted strengthening and expanding alliances between NGOs and businesses, therefore furthering the involvement of these two groups in public policy. She concluded by reiterating her view that the focus on repairing global governance systems through institutions is severely flawed, and instead favors more pragmatic actions through democratic processes.
Panelists' Bios
Ann Florini
Ann Florini is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she directs the program on New Approaches to Global Governance. She also co-chairs the international Task Force on Transparency, part of an international consortium spearheaded by the Initiative for Policy Dialogue at Columbia University and directs the World Economic Forum's Global Governance Initiative.
From 1997 to 2002, Dr. Florini was Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. From 1996 to 1997 she served as research director of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund Project on World Security. She was Senior Researcher at the Center for International and Strategic Affairs at UCLA from 1987 to 1992. From 1983 to 1987 she was at the United Nations Association of the USA, where she created and directed the Project on Multilateral Issues and Institutions.
Dr. Florini received her Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and an M.A. in Public Affairs from Princeton University.
Her most recent publication is The Coming Democracy: New Rules for Running a New World.
Ruth Levine
Ruth Levine is Director of Programs and Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development. She is a health economist with 15 years of experience working on health and family planning financing issues in Latin America, Eastern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. At CGD, Dr. Levine sets priorities and manages programs that use research to address practical policy challenges; she also manages the Global Health Policy Research Network.
Dr. Levine previously designed, supervised, and evaluated health sector loans at the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. She also conducted research on the health sector, and led the World Bank's knowledge management activities in health economics and finance between 1999 and 2002. Between 1997 and 1999, she served as the advisor on the social sectors in the Office of the Executive Vice President of the Inter-American Development Bank. Dr. Levine has published on health and family planning finance topics and is the co-author of the books The Health of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean (World Bank, 2001), Millions Saved: Proven Successes in Global Health (CGD, 2004) and and Making Markets for Vaccines: Ideas to Action (CGD, 2005).
She holds a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Economic Demography from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene.
David Molyneux
David Molyneux is the Director of the Lymphatic Filariasis Support Centre at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Starting in 1991, Dr. Molyneux was the Director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Tropical Health Sciences of The University of Liverpool. Previously, he was a Professor of Biology, Chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences and Dean of Science at the University of Salford where he was a Faculty member from 1977-91.
In the context of his work, Dr. Molyneux has extensively traveled in Africa as well as the Middle and Far East and Latin America. He has published over 300 papers in biological science journals, written over 20 reviews and contributions to books as well as a textbook on trypanosomes and leishmania. He has acted as a consultant to organizations including WHO, FAO, UNDP, the World Bank and the UK government (DFID), and served on national and international review committees of Welcome Trust, Medical Research Council and the World Health Organization.
He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in parasitology from Cambridge University.
John Forrer
John Forrer is Director of the GW Center for the Study of Globalization; Director, International Programs GW School of Business; Assistant Adjunct Professor of International Business; and Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Public Administration. Prof. Forrer teaches and manages several administrative activities, including international university partnerships, study abroad, international training raising external funding for research and educational programs. Professor Forrer is on the editorial board of Globalizations (Taylor & Francis) and cofounder of two organizations dedicated to advancing understanding of globalization: The Globalization Research Network—a university consortium of UCLA, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and University of South Florida—funded by the U.S. Congress; The Global Studies Network—a consortium of worldwide globalization research centers committed to collaborative research and educational activities.
Professor Forrer’s current research activities include the economic consequences of U.S. economic sanctions, privatization and public private partnerships and global governance.
Professor Forrer received his dual Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from Miami University, his Master in Public Administration from Syracuse University and his Doctoral degree in Public Administration from The George Washington University.
