Day 4 at the Seventy-Fifth World Health Assembly was an excellent opportunity to reflect on the impact of longstanding allies and advocates – as my Wellbeing Foundation Africa Global Delegation attend ongoing in-person Plenary Committee meetings in the Palais des Nations and various interdisciplinary sessions.

As I joined them for the exclusive one-day, hybrid DEVEX@WHA75: Reimagining Global Health Security event, I was delighted to engage with expert analysis and insider coverage of this week’s most important conversations and commitments.

The past two years have proven that the world needs to be more prepared for the next pandemic, with a major theme of this year’s Assembly focusing on health emergency preparedness and response. Even as COVID-19 bolstered the birth of new initiatives, interest in the creation of new institutions, and debate on how to change what has long been the status quo – the matter of ending the current pandemic remains high on the agenda.

Connecting with other leaders in global health from around the globe, it was wonderful to listen to and see my good friend, and longtime advocacy companion, Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO, Amref Health Africa, discuss achieving vaccine equity, as another ally Loyce Pace, Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, discussed preparing for the next pandemic and the new preparedness instruments that would be needed, hear from Medtronic LABS, with a spotlight on better health for all through digital solutions, and see Nina Schwalbe, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Dr. Petra Khoury, Director for Health and Care Department, IFRC.

With the World Economic Forum, taking place in Davos, ending today, this week in Switzerland has been compelling and poignant. Embodying both the World Economic Forum and the World Health Assembly, I truly believe a philosophy of collaborative, multistakeholder impact, in a uniquely accessible environment, was needed to reconnect, share insights, gain fresh perspectives, and build problem-solving communities and initiatives.

As the global fractures and broken systems in health, politics and economics are highlighted, the convenings this week shed light on refreshed rooted trust, a starting point for a new era of global responsibility and cooperation.