2024 International Conference on Health and Sustainable Development
The 2024 International Conference on “Health and Sustainable Development,” sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and organized by the Institute of National Planning (INP) of Egypt and the Picker Center for Executive Education at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), was held from June 24 to June 25 in Cairo, Egypt. The conference focused on United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being, which endeavors “to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”
This year’s conference brought together key stakeholders, including ministers of government and representatives of international and regional organizations focused on health and sustainability, including Professor Ashraf El Araby, President of INP; Mission Director for USAID/Egypt, Sean Jones; Professor Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Egypt’s minister of health and population; Professor Hala Helmy Elsaid, Egypt’s minister of planning and economic development; and Dr. Nevin El-Qabbaj, Egypt’s minister of social solidarity.
SIPA was represented by Professor William B. Eimicke, director of the Picker Center and professor of professional practice in international and public affairs; Professor Micheal Sparer, chair of health policy and management at the Mailman School of Public Health; and Nuoya Wu, research scholar at Columbia SIPA and PhD candidate at Zhejiang University.
Key topics discussed at the conference included innovative strategies and policies for strengthening public health systems, enhancing healthcare delivery, and achieving sustainable development. Professor Eimicke delivered a lecture on the issue of stunted growth, offering several analyses and recommendations to mitigate this issue in Egypt. Professor Sparer emphasized the critical importance of investments in public health for creating and sustaining healthy societies and provided insights on how to enhance investments in this area. Additionally, the conference explored the role of health in improving sustainable development, health sector governance and the contribution of national initiatives to the governance of the health sector in Egypt, the integration of sustainability into performance metrics, the relationship between corruption and health outcomes, the sustainable development of private hospitals, and the various challenges facing the healthcare sector in Egypt, including recommendations for enhancing the sustainability, resilience, and performance of Egypt’s healthcare system.
This annual conference serves as a vital platform for intellectual exchange, with the goal of advancing global efforts towards achieving the SDGs. The collective knowledge of diverse perspectives and the sharing of innovative ideas are expected to contribute significantly to global health and sustainable development initiatives in Egypt and other regions.
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