Rose Billings: Nightlife with Rose Billings
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Black Tie
International:
Achieving SDG 3 And Universal
Health Coverage
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Nightlife with Rose Billings
“Achieving
SDG 3 And Universal Health Coverage: Innovative Projects,
Policies and Financing Models To Reach Those Left Furthest
Behind.”
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The First Lady of Sierra Leone, Mde. Fatima
Maada Bio with Dr. Judy Kuriansky, United Nations NGO
representative of the International Association of Applied
Psychology and Psychology Professor at Columbia University
Teachers College |
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History has been made in health care recently when the
governments at the United Nations adopted a Political
Declaration on Universal Health Coverage, asserting that all
people have access to quality essential health services
without risk of financial hardship.
The same week, during the prestigious General Assembly, an
impressive event was held entitled,
“Achieving SDG 3 And Universal Health Coverage:
Innovative Projects, Policies and Financing Models To Reach
Those Left Furthest Behind.”
Impressive speakers from all fields presented innovative
programs, policies and financing models.
The major sponsor was the Mission of Sierra Leone to the UN
supported by the Office of the First Lady. Co-sponsors
represented governments from all regions of the world
(UN Missions of the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Cuba, the
People’s Republic of China); the major UN health agency, the
World Health Organization (WHO); NGOs, the International
Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), the United African
Congress, and the Psychology Coalition of NGOs accredited at
the UN; and the private sector (Mission & Co). Speakers
included Ambassadors of the Missions of Japan and of
Trinidad and Tobago, a counsellor from the Portugal UN
Mission; Ministers of Health and Education; UNAIDS, USAID
and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies, and the private sector, the Islamic
Development Bank and Pfizer.
The moderator and lead organizer was internationally
acclaimed clinical psychologist Dr. Judy Kuriansky, whose
advocacy helped successfully insure mental heath being
included both in the UHC Political Declaration and
the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development’s Goal #3 on
“Health and Well-being for All.”
The event opened with a music video of an original song,
“Honor Our Girls,” co-produced by international musician
Russell Daisey
and Dr Judy, in honor of the First Lady’s projects
presented at the event. |
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The First Lady of Sierra Leone with
HE Marc-André Blanchard, Ambassador of Canada to the UN |
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The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone Mde. Fatima
Maada Bio passionately described two projects: building a
hospital center, and her #HandsOffOurGirls campaign against
child marriage, teen pregnancy, violence against girls, and
rape. Encouraging cooperation, she reassured partners a free
VISA any time to come into Sierra Leone to help.
Her eloquence was widely praised.
The statement from the Mission of Canada affirmed that the
Prime Minister has made mental health a national priority,
investing 11B in mental health and home care. In more proof
of commitment, Canada launched the Alliance of Champions for
Mental Health and Wellbeing with the UK and Australia, and
co-chairs the UN Group of Friends of Mental Health and
Well-being with Bahrain, Belgium and Ecuador.
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Deputy Executive Director of the WHO UN New
York Office Werner Obermeyer with the First Lady of Sierra
Leone and Dr. Judy Kuriansky; back row: Dr. Christine
Roland-Levy, President, International Association of Applied
Psychology |
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On behalf of the
event co-sponsor WHO, Deputy Executive Director of the UN NY
Office Werner Obermeyer confirmed WHO’s support of countries
to revise their mental health policies and plans; urged the
need for training caregivers and community health providers;
and affirmed “There is no health without mental health,”
given shocking statistics that 80% of people in low-and
middle-income countries suffer without health quality or
affordable mental health care. |
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(Front row): Irene Koek, USAID; Dr Judy
Kuriansky, IAAP representative to the UN and Columbia
University Teachers College. (Back row): H.E. Ambassador
Pennelope Beckles of the Mission of Trinidad and Tobago to
the UN; Ambassador Anayansi Rodriguez Camejo, Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba; H.E.
Ambassador Mr. Wu Haitao, Deputy Permanent Representative,
Mission of the People's Republic of China to the UN; First
Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone; H.E. Hessa Bint Essa
Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, United Arab
Emirates; H.E. Ambassador March-André Blanchard, Mission of
Canada to the UN. |
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The statement from the Mission of Canada affirmed that the
Prime Minister has made mental health a national priority,
investing 11B in mental health and home care. In more proof
of commitment, Canada launched the Alliance of Champions for
Mental Health and Wellbeing with the UK and Australia, and
co-chairs the UN Group of Friends of Mental Health and
Well-being with Bahrain, Belgium and Ecuador.
Ambassador Beckles, currently also President of the
Executive Board of UN Women, shared her personal story of a
cancer diagnosis 17 years ago, to emphasize the importance
of UHC, and of expertise, technology and research in small
countries, (since she had to go to the US for care,
fortunately,catching the condition early). “The wealth of a
country to me is related to the health of a country,” she
said.
Cuba’s Deputy Minster of Foreign Affairs Anayansi Rodriquez
Camejo, former Ambassador to the United Nations, reported
that healthcare in Cuba is universal and free, and that the
Cuban health care force is deployed in many world crises.
“Health is a human right that fully has to be implemented
and respected,” she said, especially in “a world driven by
selfish interest in which military expenditure is so high.
USAID’s Irene Koek described the innovative partnership in
the Utkrishst (Hindi word for excellence) Development Impact
Bond to reduce maternal and new-born mortality in Rajasthan,
India. The UBS bank provides upfront capital for health
providers, repaid by USAID and partner Merke Pharmaceuticals
if certain targets are met. Such “impact bonds” are
increasingly popular
to finance development.
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Her
Excellency Hessa Bint Essa Buhamaid,
Minister of Community Development of the United Arab Emirates |
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The UAE’s Minister
of Community Development Hessa Bint Essa Buhamaid noted
considerable health improvements in her country, including
eliminating deadly communicable diseases like polio and
preventing malaria and river blindness. Also, His Highness
Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the
Emirate of Abu Dhabi, launched US$100 million for The
Reaching the Last Mile Fund (RLMF) to end devastating
neglected tropical diseases -- river blindness and
elephantiasis -- in partnership with Bill Gates, the ALIMA
philanthropies and others. |
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H.E.
Ambassador Mr. Wu Haitao, Deputy Permanent Representative,
Mission
of the People's Republic of China to the UN |
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China UN
Ambassador Wu reported that China has set up basic medical
insurance for all residents and said that, “developed
countries should increase support to developing countries
for health capacity building.” He added that “China and
Africa are good brothers, good friends, and good partners,”
citing (1) the headquarters of the African Center for
Disease Control and Prevention and China-Africa Friendship
Hospitals to open soon in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; (2) the
China-Africa Brightness Action charitable initiative, and
(3) aid sent for the Ebola outbreaks in West Africa in 2014
and currently to DRC and neighboring countries. “China is
ready to work with the UN, WHO, the international community
and African friends to promote UHC and realize the mission
of health for all,” he said. |
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Ambassador
Toshiya Hoshino, Deputy Permanent Representative of the
Mission of Japan to the UN with the First Lady of Sierra
Leone |
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Ambassador
Hoshino noted Japan’s commitment to health evident in (1)
chairing the Group of Friends of Universal Health Coverage,
missions who supported UHC; (2) introducing national health
insurance system as early as 1961; (3) hosting the
International Conference on Africa's Development, that the
First Lady of Sierra Leone attended; (4) taking over
Presidency from the country of Georgia of Innovative
Financing for Development at the UN. He emphasized the
importance of mental health with physical health, nutrition
and water sanitation. |
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H.E.
Ambassador Pennelope Beckles of the Mission of Trinidad and
Tobago
to the United Nations |
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Dr.
Radheya AlHashimi, Director of Policy Impact Department,
Strategy and Innovation Sector, United Arab Emirates. (right):
WHO co-sponsor representative Eva Kiegele |
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UAE’s Director of
the Policy Impact Department Dr. Radheya AlHashimi,
described innovative projects of the UAE, including (1)
hosting the World Government Summit bringing together world
leaders to share solutions for the future; (2) the “SDGs in
Action” campaign with Global Councils to devise innovations
to accomplish the UN Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals,
with praise for the “Health in Your Hands” initiative
founded by Dr. Judy Kuriansky and Dr. Shariha Khalid
Erichsen to reach those at the last mile of health; (3) the
upcoming Dubai Expo 2020; and (4) the UAE “Government
Accelerators” initiative whereby teams devise solutions to
long-standing problems within a limit of 100 days, e.g., the
15-day paperwork period after a baby’s birth was reduced to
one visit, and breast cancer screening for women in remote
areas was facilitated by collating all health records.
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Jorge Castel Branco Soares, Counselor,
Mission of Portugal to the UN; Dr. Radheya AlHashimi, UAE
Director of the Policy Impact Department; Dr. Judy Kuriansky;
Ambassador Toshiya Hoshinoof the UN Japan Mission;
Ambassador Pennelope Beckles of UN Mission of Trinidad and
Tobago |
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On behalf of the UN
Mission of Portugal, Counselor Soares elaborated Portugal’s
commitment to health and mental health, by (1) leading the
UN Resolution adopted about mental health and human rights;
(2) promoting the right to health, extended to migrants and
refuges on equal footing to nationals; (3) supporting
investment in mental health services as well as sexual and
reproductive health and rights as core pillars of UHC.
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Pradeep
Kakkattil, Director, Office of Innovations, UNAIDS |
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First Lady
of Sierra Leone and the Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Alpha
Tejan-Wurie |
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Dr. Jemilah
Mahmood, Under Secretary-General for Partnerships,
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC) and Amine Hillal, Lead Alternative
Development Finance, Islamic Development Bank Group
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Dr. Mahmood and
Amine Hillal described their unique partnership and
financing in the WASH Fund, to provide clean water and
sanitation, given shocking statistics that 844 million
people still lack basic drinking water and 2.3 billion
people lack basic sanitation, leading to millions of deaths
that could be preventable. The blended finance model with
Sukuk [Arabic for financial certificates] helps stem cholera
and acute watery diarrheal diseases, where people are forced
to use undignified ways to use the toilet in very unsafe
areas. Dr. Mahmood emphasized that such bonds need to go to
low-and-middle-income countries rather than only to
high-income countries. |
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Ambassador
Victoria Sulimani, Deputy Permanent Representative of the
Mission of Sierra Leone to the UN; Youth delegate Isaac
Bayoh;
First Lady of Sierra Leone;
Finda Senesi, Counsellor, UN Mission of Sierra Leone
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Sierra Leone’s Youth
Delegate Bayoh urged taking advantage of the resources of
young people as partners in global discussions, who have
passion
to transform society.
Sierra Leone’s
Administrative Assistant and Disability Coordinator at the
Embassy in Washington DC, Joseph Fofanah, described the
needs of disabled persons in Sierra Leone after years of
civil war, the Ebola epidemic, and the tragic mudslide,
including equipment like wheelchairs, and mental health
counseling to deal with the traumas.
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First Lady
of Sierra Leone, Dr. Judy Kuriansky, and H.E. Sidique Wai,
Ambassador of Sierra Leone to the United States.
(back row): Ambassador Victoria Sulimani, Mission of Sierra
Leone to the UN |
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Ambassador Wai
expressed deep appreciation for all the innovative and
compelling presentations, and called for follow-up to
advance the ideas and create partnerships, to which everyone
enthusiastically agreed. |
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Mariam
Jashi, Chairperson of the Education, Science, and Cultural
Committee
of the Parliament of Georgia |
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Representing the
country of Georgia, that notably with Thailand drafted the
historic Political Declaration for Universal Health
Coverage, Mariam Jashi described how Georgia had launched
its flagship UHC program in 2013, investing 3.0% of GDP,
proving that “even with limited resources, any country can
make a difference if you maximize financial investment in
the health sector.” Also, Georgia significantly eliminated
Hepatitis C (with support of the US government and GILEAD
providing free drugs) and made significant advances in
immunization of HIV, TB and malaria. Georgia also served as
President of the Leading Group on Innovative Financing
(passed on to Japan), with a forum last year in Tbilisi.
Innovative health financing projects she described involved
contributions from airline tickets, hotel checkout bills,
monthly salaries and ticket purchases (for theater, movies
or festivals), and purchases for products by companies like
Nike, Starbucks, Gap, Hallmark and others (in a project
co-designed by U2 frontman and activist Bono). |
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Minister Alpha
Osman Timbo, Sierra Leone Minister of Education
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The Sierra Leone
Education Minster Hon. Alpha Timbo connected education to
health, saying, “You cannot read when you are not healthy,”
adding, “That is why health is an integral part of the human
capital development program of the President of Sierra
Leone.” |
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Dr. Mark Johnson,
Chair, Howard University School of Medicine Department of
Community and Family Medicine and Co-chair of the First Lady
of Sierra Leone Mde. Fatima Maada Bio Medical Center and
Research Group, USA and Medical Center Project for the Mano
River Union; Co-chair Dr. Alper Tunga Demirarslan, Assistant
Professor, Istanbul Okan University, Turkey; H.E. Sidique
Wai, Ambassador of Sierra Leone to the United States; Dr.
Judy Kuriansky; Mine Anlar, owner, World of Travel, Inc.;
H.E. Francis Mustapha Kaikai, Sierra Leone Minister of
Planning and Economic Development |
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Two doctors are
helping Sierra Leone build the proposed new medical facility
for Sierra Leone and the Mano River. Dr. Tunga from Turkey
is in charge of logistics and financing for the four
hospitals, planned to address priority needs of women and
children, infectious diseases, cardiology and oncology.
Co-chair Dr. Mark Johnson of Howard University School of
Medicine in the USA is handling training of projected staff,
including community health workers. A focus is on public
health issues of infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, clean water,
malaria, immunizations, teen pregnancy, Ebola, and mental
health. |
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Dr. Shariha
Khalid Erichsen, Managing Partner, Mission & Co; member,
Global Council 3, SDGs in Action; and co-founder, “Health in
Your Hands Initiative” |
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Dr. Erichsen
described how she and Dr. Judy Kuriansky came together in
the “SDGs in Action” lab described by the UAE’s Dr. Radheya
AlHashimi, to create the innovative solution for SDG 3
called “Health in Your Hands,” a platform of projects to
reach the last mile and leave no one behind. This innovation
is significant, given staggering statistics, that over half
of the world’s population, including a billion people in
remote rural communities, lack access to essential health
services, and that there is an estimated shortage of 18
million health care workers. See:
Healthinyourhands.co |
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Dr. Ruth
Ngech, Deputy Country Director of Living Goods in Kenya |
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Living Goods
supports community health workers in Kenya, Uganda, and
starting in Sierra Leone, through technology, by providing
live data to workers to follow their assignments through
their cell phone, and tablets to supervisors to track
workers and accurate diagnoses in the field. |
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Chris Grey,
Senior Director, Global Health and Patient Access team,
Pfizer, New York with Dr. Claire Brolan, Center for Policy
Futures, University of Queensland, Australia, and member of
the Finance Cluster of the “SDGS in Action” initiative |
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Pfizer’s Chris
Grey read the statement from the UHC Private Sector
Constituency, outlining seven contributions to UHC from the
for-profit health-related private sector and businesses.
These include to offer quality products, help strengthen the
health workforce, and fundraise.
Dr. Brolan
outlined three key messages about financing the SDGs and SDG
3: (1) Shift wording from talking about “financing” SDG 3 or
UHC, to talking about “investing in the health and wellbeing
of the invisible men, women, and children being left
behind”; (2) Provide seed funding for wonderful health
innovations in low, middle, and high income countries, since
small amounts of money can go a long way; and (3) Partner
with universities that can do research to provide data and
evidence, and can write grants.
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Tamar
Tchelidze, Counselor in the UN Mission of Georgia that
co-drafted the UHC Political Declaration; Cuba Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs Camejo; Japan UN Mission
Ambassador Toshiya Hoshino; Dr. Judy Kuriansky; UAE Minister
of Community Development Hessa Bint Essa Buhumaid;
and WHO co-organizer Eva Kiegele |
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The Ebola
Coalition: Chair Gordon Tapper, President, United African
Congress (UAC); Communications Chair and NY liaison Friends
of the Congo Bibi Ndala; the UAC’s Dr. Michael Cole and Dr.
Mohammed Nurhussein;
HaltEbola’s Pastor Dr. Kaserka Kasomo; Jacques Vithi; and
Dr. Judy Kuriansky |
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The Ebola Coalition,
a group of experts from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
and the USA, described plans for innovative and
comprehensive training workshops to address three aspects of
the Ebola outbreak in the DRC: psychosocial support (to
build resilience); risk communication (to combat myths that
Ebola is not real); and community engagement (to eradicate
stigma). The team has been invited by the faith community in
the worst-affected region. The intervention builds on the
team’s previous successful help and awareness-raising during
the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. |
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Dr.
Mohammed Nurhussein, Board member, Ethio-American Doctors
Group, Inc., Professor emeritus of medicine, SUNY Downstate
Medical Center and Chairman of the United African Congress |
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Dr. Nurhussein
described the Ethio-American Doctors Group project, building
a for-profit medical center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Initial funding was provided from the doctors’ personal
funds. The focus is on six areas: neurology, cardiology,
orthopedics, oncology; trauma services, and maternal and
child services. 150,000 square meters of land was purchased
and ground was broken, aiming for operation in 2021. |
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Lucy Fagan,
Global Focal Point for the United Nations Major Group for
Children and Youth, and Chair, Commonwealth Youth Health
Network |
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As the health
representative of the UN Major Group for Children and Youth,
Lucy Fagan described the successful journey towards UHC from
the UN Agenda2030 negotiations in New York in 2015, to the
Astana Declaration last year about primary health care, and
integrating mental health, to returning to New York now for
adoption of the UHC Political Declaration. Action is now
needed, that requires political will, innovation, and
partnerships. Young people can play a major role in
technology and digital innovations, and also in policy.
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Russell
Daisey, International musician, co-producer of the “Honor
Our Girls” music video shown at event, and IAAP UN NGO
Representative, Dr. Judy Kuriansky; Dr. Christine
Roland-Levy, President, International Association of Applied
Psychology |
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Graduate
students of Dr. Judy Kuriansky in class on “Psychology and
the United Nations” at Columbia University Teachers College
Jiawen Long, Ziyuan Zhang and Shenyun Chen with China
Ambassador to the UN Wu Haitao |
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Student assistants
at the event, including from Dr. Judy’s “Psychology and the
United Nations” class. (Front): Bibi Ndala, Dr. Judy, Alia
Khizer. (Back row): Melissa Rojas, Gabrielle Gravely, UN
Major Group for Children and Youth representative Lucy
Fagan, Maram Alqassab from NYU graduate school, Sitara Maria |
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