WHO Director-General Special Envoys
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Credits
Committed to the well-being of all individuals and guided by scientific expertise, WHO spearheads and advocates for global initiatives to provide every person, regardless of their location, with an equal opportunity to lead a healthy life. WHO is dedicated to championing health and fostering a brighter future for everyone.
To extend the reach of WHO's endeavours, the WHO Director-General appoints Special Envoys. These esteemed individuals play a pivotal role in raising awareness about WHO's mission, mandate, and public health messages. They work towards mobilizing global support, expanding platforms for policy dialogue, and advocating for solutions that promote health, well-being, global safety, and the protection of vulnerable populations in alignment with WHO's policies and recommendations.
WHO Special Envoys actively advance WHO's vision through various means, including engaging stakeholders, conducting high-level advocacy, providing strategic advice, and supporting resource mobilization efforts. They are powerful amplifiers, disseminating WHO's analyses, recommendations, and public health messages to governments, non-state actors, communities, and individuals. Furthermore, they facilitate the consistent and high-standard implementation of WHO's guidance.
WHO Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health
Dr Vanessa Kerry
Appointment date: 22 June 2023
Dr Kerry is the co-founder and CEO of Seed Global Health (Seed), a non-profit organization focused on health systems strengthening and transformation through long-term investments and training of the health workforce. Under her leadership, Seed has helped educate more than 34 000 doctors, nurses, and midwives in seven countries, helping to improve health care for more than 73 million people.
Dr Kerry has spoken and written about the effects of climate change on human health and health systems and the need to integrate a health-centred response into climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Dr Kerry is supporting the COP28 Presidency to shape the first-ever COP Day of Health and leading efforts to build advocacy around the impact of climate change on health and ensure equitable and just climate action.
She is a critical care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and is the associate director of partnerships and global initiatives at the MGH Center for Global Health. She directs the Global Public Policy and Social Change programme at Harvard Medical School, focusing on links between security and health. She is the mother of two children.
Announcement of the appointment of Dr Vanessa Kerry →
WHO Director-General’s Special Envoys on COVID-19 Preparedness and Response
The Director-General appointed six Special Envoys on COVID-19, to provide strategic advice and high-level political advocacy and engagement in different parts of the world. The Special Envoys work in close collaboration with WHO Regional Directors and country offices to coordinate the global response to COVID-19.