RDI WHA 78 SIDE EVENT

About the Event

This event is being held under the patronage of Spain and Egypt, and is co-hosted by RDI along with 6 partner organizations: Hospital Sant Joan de Déu – Barcelona, Medscape Education Global, World Federation of Hemophilia, Wilhelm Foundation, the Global Commission to End the Diagnostic Odyssey for Children with a Rare Disease, and Harriet Joyce Foundation.

As we reach this pivotal moment, the adoption of the WHA Resolution is not the finish line but rather the foundation for the next phase of action – ensuring its implementation translates into real impact for PLWRD and PLWUD. Therefore, the focus of this event will be twofold: celebrating the significant achievements of our members, community, and partners over the last 10 years and to chart the next era of advocacy, policy, research, and care.

The purpose of this side-event is to unite the rare disease and broader global health community for a discussion on the WHA Resolution on Rare Diseases in the context of WHA 78. This event will serve as a celebration of the progress we have made up until now on the WHA Resolution, and in particular the contributions of the global community of RDI members and allies towards achieving this goal. The event will also serve as a bridge between advocacy work at the global level, the work of patient associations at the national and regional levels, and broader rare disease activities such as the Global Network for Rare Diseases. It will ultimately identify the next steps towards achieving our vision of
health equity for PLWRD.

Download the Agenda and Concept Note

Register to attend the in-person event in Geneva

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featured speakers:

Dr Mohammed Hassany
Assistant Minister of Health for Projects and Public Health Initiatives
Arab Republic of Egypt

HE Dr Hanan Al Kuwari, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Public Health Affairs, Qatar

Dr Kirsten Johnson
Chair, RDI Council of Directors
President, Fragile X International

Cesar Garrido
President
World Federation of Hemophilia

Samuel Wiafe
Executive Director
Rare Disease Ghana Initiative

Helene Cederroth
Co-Founder and President
Wilhelm Foundation

headshot of Antoine Daher

Antoine Daher
RDI Council of Directors
Founder and President, Casa Hunter

Nadiah Hanim Abdul Latif
RDI Council of Directors
President, Malaysian Rare Disorders Society

Dr. Encarna Guillén
Head of Genetics & Strategy Director of UNICAS implementation
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu – Barcelona
President of the Spanish Society of Human Genetics

Dr. S Christy Rohani-Montez
Senior Director of Clinical Strategy & Rare Disease Education Lead
Medscape Education Global

Kelly du Plessis
RDI Council of Directors
Founder and CEO, Rare Diseases South Africa

Jeffrey Himmel
President
The Harriet Joyce Foundation

Alexandra Heumber Perry

Alexandra Heumber Perry
Chief Executive Officer
Rare Diseases International

Caroline Kant
Co-Founder and CEO
EspeRare Foundation

Alanna Miller
Global Policy Coordinator
Rare Diseases International

Alba Parejo
Coordinator
RDI Youth Leadership Programme

Kin-Ping Tsang
President
Hong Kong Alliance for Rare Diseases

Juan Carrión Tudela
President
Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras (FEDER)

Debra Bellon

Debra Bellon
Strategic Engagement Manager
Rare Diseases International

Dr. Neil Inhaber, Co-Chair
Global Commission to End the Diagnostic Odyssey for Children with a Rare Disease
VP, Head Global Medical Affairs Mature Brands at Takeda

Dr Pedro Gullón Tosio, Director General of Public Health and Health Equity of the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Spain

The Honourable Datuk Seri Dr. Haji Dzulkefly Ahmad, Minister of Health, Malaysian Ministry of Health

François Lamy, Administrator & Vice-President, AFM Téléthon