Global Health Geeks: Headlines & More; GHF Jobs Scanner
Newsletter Edition #285 [The Curated Primer]
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Presenting our curated edition that we bring to you twice a month.
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I. GLOBAL HEALTH GEEKS:
Headlines & More
WHO launches bold push to raise health taxes and save millions of lives
WHO urges countries to raise real prices on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks by at least 50% by 2035 through health taxes in a move designed to curb chronic diseases and generate critical public revenue.
WHO says:
“The consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks are fueling the NCD epidemic. NCDs, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, account for over 75% of all deaths worldwide. A recent report shows that a one-time 50% price increase on these products could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years.
The Initiative has an ambitious but achievable goal of raising US$1 trillion over the next 10 years. Between 2012 and 2022, nearly 140 countries raised tobacco taxes, which resulted in an increase of real prices by over 50% on average, showing that large-scale change is possible.”
The 3 by 35 Initiative by WHO:
“A recent analysis suggests that a one-time tax increase sufficient to raise prices by 50% could generate up to US$ 3.7 trillion in new revenue globally within five years, or an average of US$ 740 billion per year – equivalent to 0.75% of global GDP.”
Outcome document of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development
“The Sevilla Commitment, adopted by consensus at the start of the Conference, lays out a path to close the $4 trillion annual SDG financing gap in developing countries. It is the first inter-governmentally agreed financing for development framework since 2015, and a rallying call to overhaul a system that is failing billions of people and pushing global goals further out of reach….
To address debt challenges:
A Debt Swaps for Development Hub, led by Spain and the World Bank, to strengthen capacity and enhance collaboration to scale up debt swaps and lower debt service burdens;
A Debt-for-Development Swap Programme by Italy that will convert 230 million Euros of debt obligations of African countries into investments in development projects;
A Debt “Pause Clause” Alliance where a coalition of countries and Multilateral Development Banks (Canada, France, Spain, UK, the Inter-American Development Bank, European Investment Bank, African Development Bank Group, Asian Development Bank and Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean) commit to including “pause clauses” in their lending, to suspend debt service payments during crises;
A Sevilla Forum on Debt to help countries learn from one another and coordinate their approaches in debt management and restructuring, with a UN entity serving as its secretariat, with support from Spain.
To catalyze investment with development impact:
To raise new revenue, a Coalition for Global Solidarity Levies, led by France, Kenya and Barbados, supported by Benin, Somalia, Zambia and Spain, to tax premium-class flying and private jets in a bid to raise funds for climate action and sustainable development;
A blended finance platform, SCALED, to scale up blended financing, led by a coalition of countries (Germany, Canada, France, UK, Denmark, and South Africa) and financial institutions (including Allianz, AXA SA, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, and Zurich Insurance Group) to support efforts to create effective and replicable, scalable blended finance instruments and funds with development impact;
To increase local currency lending, FX EDGE, a new Multilateral Development Bank toolbox for FX-risk management instruments, led by the Inter-American Development Bank, and Delta, a liquidity platform by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to help development finance institutions provide local currency lending;
An Effective Taxation of High-Net-Worth Individuals initiative, led by Brazil and Spain, to ensure high-net-worth individuals pay their fair share.
A Technical Assistance Hub by public development banks, led by the Finance in Common Secretariat and the International Development Finance Club, and a pooled Multilateral Development Bank Technical Assistance Platform for project preparation, led by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
To support architecture reform at national and global levels:
A new generation of country-owned platforms with country-led financing strategies, led by a coalition of countries (including South Africa and Egypt), the Integrated National Financing Framework Facility and development banks, in support of national plans and strategies.
A coalition led by the UK and the Bridgetown Initiative to scale-up pre-arranged financing from 2 per cent to 20 per cent of total disaster financing by 2035.”
UNCTAD: Global public debt hit a record $102 trillion in 2024, striking developing countries hardest
Gavi Replenishment: World leaders recommit to immunisation amid global funding shortfall
(Gavi statement in response to comments made by the United States Secretary for Health and Human Services at the Global Summit: Health and Prosperity through Immunisation, Brussels, 25 June 2025.)
Takeaways from Gavi Replenishment: CSIS
Human Rights Council: A vote on a resolution on access to medicines
A/HRC/59/L.8 on access to medicines, vaccines and other health products in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health was adopted (by a recorded vote 32-0-15) last week.
UNAIDS: 2025 Global AIDS Update, “AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform”
“This report shows that at the end of 2024, just before a sudden collapse in funding triggered a crisis in the global AIDS response, the remarkable efforts of communities and governments had brought down the numbers of new HIV infections by 40% and of AIDS-related deaths by 56% since 2010. But it also shows that huge gaps in HIV prevention remained, with 1.3 million new infections in 2024—almost unchanged from the year before.
We started 2025 excited about a transformative opportunity to tackle HIV with lenacapavir, a new long-acting medicine that can prevent HIV infection with twice-a-year injections. This is just one of a suite of new long-acting medicines. Within the next few years, annual injections and monthly tablets to prevent HIV could be a reality. We could be on the verge of an HIV prevention revolution that reduces new infections towards epidemic control—if the world comes together again to overcome monopolies, drive down prices, and ensure everyone who could benefit has access to these new, highly effective prevention tools.
But the sudden withdrawal of the single biggest contributor to the global HIV response disrupted treatment and prevention programmes around the world in early 2025. International assistance accounts for 80% of prevention programmes in low- and middle-income countries. UNAIDS modelling shows that if the funding permanently disappears, there could be an additional 6 million HIV infections and an additional 4 million AIDS-related deaths by 2029. At the same time, the number of countries criminalizing the populations most at risk of HIV has risen for the first time since UNAIDS began reporting.”
Independent assessment of the origins of SARS‑CoV‑2: By the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), 27 June 2025
The new WHO-ITU-WIPO Joint Technical Brief: Mapping the application of artificial intelligence in traditional medicine
WHO Has a New $4.2 million Contract Pending with Boston Consulting Group: Health Policy Watch
WHAT’S ON:
First meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement: July 9-10
(Also see IGWG update from us)
AI for Good Summit 2025 – Enabling AI for Health Innovation and Access: July 11
II. JOBS SCANNER
Senior Level
Devex: Director of International Foundations, Organizations and Institutions
Application Deadline: 25th of August 2025
Placement: Brussels, London, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, UgandaPublic Citizen: Research Director
Application Deadline: NA
Placement: WashingtonJohn Ellerman Foundation: Investment consultant
Application Deadline: 8th of August 2025
Placement: London
Mid Level
World Health Organization: Results Officer
Application Deadline: 1st of August 2025
Placement: GenevaNorwegian Institute of Public Health: Permanent Researcher/Advisor in Global Health and Climate-Resilient Health Systems
Application Deadline: 1st of August 2025
Placement: OsloNorwegian Institute of Public Health: Permanent Researcher in Health Systems/Implementation Research Focused on Global Digital Health
Application Deadline: 1st of August 2025
Placement: OsloNorwegian Institute of Public Health: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Global Digital Health
Application Deadline: 1st of August 2025
Placement: OsloClinton Health Access Initiative: Senior Program Officer – Technical Support Units (TSU)
Application Deadline: NA
Placement: Côte d’IvoireWorld Health Organization: Consultant - Regional Research Agenda and Policy Recommendations on Climate Change, Food systems and Health
Application Deadline: 17th of July 2025
Placement: Korea, Republic of-SeoulInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): Officer, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Response and Prevention
Application Deadline: 16th of July 2025
Placement: GenevaMcKinsey Health Institute: Communications Specialist
Application Deadline: NA
Placement: Europe
Junior Level
MSF: Emergency Unit Assistant Intern
Application Deadline: NA
Placement: Geneva
We hope to hear from organizations and companies looking to share their open positions or assignments. Our readers include experts across global health, and we are keen on sharing our assiduously built community to help make connections. The idea is to showcase few but meaningful roles in global health anywhere in the world.
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