OMI Webinar: Solidarity and social contracts in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The webinar is part of a series of five webinars launched by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Government of Norway under the Oslo Medicines Initiative (OMI). 

For this fifth and last webinar of the series, the OMI has invited five panelists from industry, civil society, intergovernmental organisations and academia. The panelists will discuss how countries across the globe are committed to achieving universal health coverage according to goal three of the United Nation's SDGs. 

Access to safe, effective and affordable medicines is central to this aim and both public and private sectors have important roles to play to achieve this goal. Applying the concept of a social contract, the panelists will examine how public and private stakeholders can work together to find effective solutions that support the SDGs. Margo will share her insights on restoring the social contract between governments, the pharmaceutical industry and civil society.

Other panelists include: 

• Boris Azais, Director Public Policy Europe & Canada at MSD; 

• Bettina Ryll, founder of the Melanoma Patients Network; 

• Fatima Suleman, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; and 

• Hugo Hurts, Member of the Board of Directors at Lygature. 

The event will also include an author presentation by Trudo Lemmens on the paper: “Examining the market for vaccines and medicines in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals."

The session is moderated by Arne-Petter Sanne, Project Leader at the Norwegian Medicines Agency and Sarah Garner, Acting Regional Advisor for Access to Medicines and Health Products at WHO Europe.

About the Oslo Medicines Initiative (OMI) 
Established in 2020 by the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe and the Government of Norway, the Oslo Medicines Initiative was conceived to help build an environment of mutual trust and cooperation between the pharmaceutical industry, governments and patients. Through dialogue, the OMI aims to reshape political discours, implement pragmatic step-by-step solution and create partnerships to build a movement for change. 

You can register for the event here. More information about the webinar series can be found here.