The Access to Medicine Foundation joins UN General Assembly 2024

In late September 2024, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (UNGA) will hold its 79th session in New York City. The Access to Medicine Foundation will attend the event to engage with leaders, experts and stakeholders across countries and industries to discuss key issues surrounding global health.

The Access to Medicine Foundation is set to attend the 79th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City. Throughout the event, the Foundation will engage with key stakeholders and industry representatives, attending various events and contributing to discussions on healthcare and access to medicine.

The Foundation's team will include:

Jayasree K. Iyer, Chief Executive Officer

Pauline L'Hénaff, Head of Industry Engagement

In addition to this delegation attending the session, Jayasree, in her capacity as CEO, will also participate in and speak at several parallel events taking place alongside the main UNGA session:

UNGA High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

On the sidelines of its upcoming session, UNGA will convene a High-Level Meeting on AMR for the second time on 26 September. Under the theme "Investing in the present and securing our future together: Accelerating multi-sectoral global, regional and national actions to address Antimicrobial Resistance," the meeting will provide an opportunity for political leaders, industry experts and stakeholders to discuss how to address the growing threat of AMR and its impact on global health, food security and progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN.

At the meeting, Jayasree will serve as a panellist for the session entitled “Addressing human health, animal health, agrifood systems and protecting the environment to tack antimicrobial resistance, through surveillance, capacity-building, sustainable resources, financing and investment."

She will draw on insights from the Foundation's extensive work in the AMR programme, with a particular focus on sharing findings and recommendations from the recently published report “How can pharma get the few promising drugs in development to patients battling superbugs?” Additionally, she will address key issues and insights from the 2021 AMR Benchmark and the Foundation’s briefing for the High-Level Meeting on AMR at UNGA.

For more information about the High-Level Meeting on AMR, click here.

The Devex summit, The Future Can’t Wait: Shaping Tomorrow, Today

Media platform Devex is hosting a summit, The Future Can’t Wait: Shaping Tomorrow, Today, from 24 to 26 September, alongside the UNGA session. This event will bring together experts and influencers across industries to discuss global challenges, with a focus on four critical themes: adapting to a changing planet, innovating for global health and well-being, partnering for a better future and renewing trust and rethinking systems.

On 25 September, Jayasree will participate in a summit panel titled “Breaking barriers to access: Ensuring lifesaving medicines reach the people who need them.” She will discuss the Foundation’s work in evaluating pharmaceutical companies and fostering strategic partnerships to improve medicine availability and affordability. As part of this, Jayasree will share insights from the Foundation’s latest report, which examines how companies are monitoring and tracking the number of patients they reach with essential healthcare products, launching on 10 September. Additionally, she will highlight recent research from the Foundation’s Index programme.

Other experts on the panel include:

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS

Nomonde Ngema, Writer, speaker, HIV activist

Rumbi Chakamba (moderator), Associate Editor at Devex

For more information about the Devex summit, click here.

Axmed Panel Discussion

On September 24, Medicines marketplace Axmed is hosting a panel discussion titled “Accelerating Access to Medicines Through Tech-Enabled Solutions,” exploring the challenges and opportunities in ensuring access to medicines in LMICs. The discussion will focus on actionable steps that various stakeholders can take and the role of technology in accelerating access.

In her capacity as CEO, Jayasree will participate as a panelist, offering insights into expanding access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Drawing from the Foundation’s Index programme, she will discuss major findings and themes, highlighting key players, best practices, and areas where the industry can improve can improve to ensure essential healthcare products reach those who need them most.

Other experts on the panel include: