The Geneva Health Forum (GHF) is the forum that brings together key actors of global health.
Created in 2006 by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva, the Geneva Health Forum is built today in close collaboration with 24 partners.
Social and environmental crises are having an increasing impact on the health of populations. Inequalities in access to care are growing. The current design of health systems, which are becoming increasingly fragile, does not allow us to respond to these challenges. It is necessary to reinvent a new approach to global health, taking into account the current social and environmental crises, involving civil society and relying on the opportunities of digital development.
In these times of great international tension, it is important that Geneva can strengthen its role as a neutral platform for multilateral dialogue.
By creating an inclusive and neutral space for dialogue and collaboration, the Geneva Health Forum aims to bring the voices of scientific communauty and civil society to Geneva to help address the challenges of global health.
To achieve this goal, the Geneva Health Forum wants to :
- Give more visibility to innovative actors in global health
- Facilitate networking and collaboration
- Develop solutions and launch initiatives
A conference and a network
Through its network of field actors, academics, politicians and private sector actors, the GHF is interested in weaving links between field actions and policy decisions. Thus, we seek to identify problems encountered in the field in order to find solutions by proposing policy changes when necessary.
The GHF develops regular activities throughout the year in the form of panel discussions, round tables or working groups.
The GHF conference invites the scientific community and field actors to make their voices heard during the World Health Assembly. From 2024 onwards, it will become an annual event and will take place during the week of the World Health Assembly to feed the debate with experiences from the field.
Geneva : International Capitale of Health
The Geneva Health Forum builds on the dynamics of Geneva which, as the international capital of health and the international capital of humanitarianism, offers a unique network of key actors active in this field.
Created in 1948, the World Health Organization has its headquarters in Geneva. Throughout the year, it is the seat of an intense technical and diplomatic activity which allows to define the public health programs. In May of each year, the World Health Assembly brings together the delegations of its 194 Member States to decide on the major political orientations of the Organization.
To facilitate working relations with WHO, many organizations involved in health have established their headquarters or a liaison office in Geneva. It is estimated that more than 300 global health organizations are present in Geneva (United Nations agencies involved in health, international organizations, private public partnerships, NGOs, academic institutes, professional federations, etc.).
The Geneva region and more broadly Western Switzerland is home to a rich ecosystem of companies involved in life sciences. This hub, called Swiss Health Valley, includes nearly 1,000 companies employing more than 25,000 people.
This rich environment, unique in the world, allows Geneva to be defined as the international capital of health.
