Steering Committee members

Fadekemi "Kemi" Akinfaderin

Chief Global Advocacy Officer

”Partnership with civil society is an essential strategy for achieving universal access to health. Through the CSO Commission, I hope we can expand and institutionalize civil society participation in all WHO activities at all levels.”

Lujain Alqodmani

President Elect

”I see the WHO CSO Commission as an inclusive and open platform that connects WHO with CSO organizations as key partners to achieve its mission and ensure better health for health. I hope with my role as Steering Committee member to enable and fully unlock the full potential of the Commission. ”

Roslizawati Binti Md Ali

President

”Why the keen interest in CSO Commission – in line with the main objectives of Malaysian Woman's Action for Tobacco Control and Health (MyWATCH); to strengthen advocacy, to improve the socio-economies, positive contribution and transformation in quality and productivity of life; and seeking shared interests - skills, knowledge and collaboration, humanitarian efforts, overcoming health burden in crises management.”

Tara Brace-John

Head of Health Policy Advocacy & Research

”Formalising civil society engagement within WHO policy processes is key to unlocking synergies which will strengthen and transform both WHO and civil society. I’m very happy to have the opportunity to be part of the Civil Society Commission which will lead this exciting change process.”

Nyreese Castro-Espadas

Area of Focus Manager

”As a steering committee member of the WHO CSO Commission and representative of Rotary International, I represent Rotary’s 1.4 million members as a unified civil society voice to promote health, peace and prosperity in communities across the globe. I envision that the WHO Civil Society Commission will allow CSOs to amplify the foremost issues, influence public health policies, and support programs that benefit the world’s most vulnerable populations.”

Angela Chaudhuri

Chief Catalyst

”WHO's formal engagement with civil society marks an important point in our times indicating a significant shift in accepting diversity, uniqueness, people centeredness and equity. Given the complex challenges of human health and diverse political climate, engagement across sectors is crucial and the timing of the establishment of the Civil Society Commission could not have been better. Proud to be part of this group and to be inspired by the leaders in this Commission and our colleagues in WHO. ”

John Coughlan

Secretary General

”As the parent of a child with severe cerebral palsy, I hope that the Civil Society Commission will provide a platform for the voices of persons with disabilities and their families to be heard within the World Health Organization.”

Katie Dain

Chief Executive Officer

Kurt Frieder

President

”Latin America is always neglected and invisible in almost all multinational spaces although it has big sectors of its population struggling with poverty and despair. In a troubled world that demands peace and human rights as its utmost important values, my aspiration as part of the Steering Committee of WHO CSO Commission is to contribute to the effort of reaching equitable access to well-being and essential healthcare services for all, not leaving anyone behind.”

Kjeld Hansen

Chair

”I am a person with asthma and the former Chair of the Council of the European Lung Foundation. As such I oversaw the transformation of the foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included a stronger focus on lived experiences of both common and rare lung diseases as well as how they are integrated into lung health science. I have been particularly active within issues related to climate change and digital health.”

Lisa Hilmi

Executive Director

”I joined the Steering Committee, as I see this as a historic effort by WHO to meaningfully engage civil society as partners. To be part of this initiative was very meaningful to me, and I felt my past leadership with other Boards would be strategically helpful. It was motivating to be working with like-minded visionary collegues on the Steering Committe and at WHO, to advance change, and improve health for communities.”

Justin Koonin

President

”The Civil Society Commission is an important mechanism to build capacity within WHO to engage with civil society and communities more effectively. When WHO can do that, it will set an example to Member States, and ultimately lead to better relations between civil society, communities and governments at the national level. I hope to bring my experience working across governments, civil society and multilateral institutions to build greater trust and cooperation between them all.”

Joan Ivy Murugi

Youth Representative

”I envision a Civil Society Commission that has inclusive and transparent processes, while harnessing the innovativeness of youth to make WHO’s vision to make Health a Priority for all reality! I bring on board a best practice on how non-formal education can be used as an effective tool to advance agendas and collaboration.”

Shilpa Maiya

India Chapter Member

”I have worked with women in rural and tribal parts of India for over 18 years on various health topics such as women’s reproductive and sexual health, nutrition, and primary health care. My experience in tribal parts of the country in three Indian states has enriched me with lessons of the special circumstances of working in these areas. I would like to bring in grassroots realities to the Commission and bring in varied perspectives of engagement at global, regional and national levels. Accelerating SDGs cannot happen in silos. Therefore, I would like to see the Commission steer in ways that are inclusive of gender, health topics, across regions of the globe.”

Wafa Mohamed Al Madhagi

Fundraising and partnership manager

”As a member of the Steering Committee, my aspiration would be to amplify the voices of civil societies and ensure their meaningful engagement in global health decision-making processes. By working together, we can leverage collective expertise and resources to tackle complex health challenges, promote knowledge exchange, and drive sustainable change at the global, regional and local levels.”

Eliana Monteforte

Director for Special Projects

”As a member of the CSO Commission Steering Committee, I aspire to help WHO create a culture of trust, equity and inclusion to ensure all WHO initiatives directly meet the needs of all populations including those most left behind.”

Cedric Nininahazwe

Global Advocacy Manager

”In times where global health governance needs, more than ever, an inclusive health governance, I hope to bring my experience to build a WHO Commission Steering Committee that can effectively strengthen civil society and communities' engagement with WHO Secretariat and its governing body.”

Willice Onyango

Executive Director

”As the Executive Director of The Youth Cafe (TYC), I am thrilled to be a member of the Steering Committee of the WHO Civil Society Commission. The Youth Cafe is Africa’s largest convening community of professionals harnessing youth advocacy, policy, and research for social impact, with over 3500 member organizations. We are particularly interested in supporting efforts to engage young people and other marginalized communities in the work of the Commission and in advocating for policies and practices that promote health equity and social justice at all levels.”

Ravi Ram

Director of Health Systems Evaluation

”I hope for the WHO Civil Society Commission start with enhancing a mutual understanding and trust between WHO and broader civil society: so that each is confident in the respective strengths of the other and both see each other as reliable partners in health collaborations, technical and otherwise. Beyond enhancing such WHO-civil society interactions, I see the Commission is a voice for public perspectives, concerns, critiques and aspirations toward truly achieving health as a fundamental right for all.”

Milka Sokolovic

Director General

”I see the WHO Civil Society Commission as a global convener of health civil society, an incubator that will help turn the co-creation of health and well-being from a daydream into a norm. I am honoured to support this strategic partnership through my hard work and dedication, but also through my personal passion for instigating alliances, and with equity and social justice as my strongest personal and professional drivers.”

Fiona Uellendahl

Policy Advisor Health and Nutrition

”Health is a human right. Every day millions of people don’t have access to lifesaving health care. We must get civil society to be heard to make sure everyone everywhere can get health care.”