Mission and history

Global Health Advocates is a French NGO whose mission is to carry out political advocacy in France and with the EU institutions to ensure policies and resources are effectively addressing health inequalities.

Created in 2001, Global Health Advocates was born out of a collective effort to eliminate three poverty-related diseases : HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis. In the year 2000, ambitious commitments were taken during the G8 Summit in Okinawa. The international community agreed to create and fully fund mechanisms to fight against the three diseases which kill millions of people every year.

Within this context, the « Massive Effort Campaign » was created to follow up on those commitments and advocate for global health alongside the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria.

In 2005, the Massive Effort Campaign became Global Health Advocates, with offices in Paris and Brussels. Since 2008, GHA is a member of the international global health advocacy network « Action ».

Since 2009, GHA has been working in France to maintain and increase Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budgets as well as highlight the importance of access to health in French development policy. We also monitor the French government’s health commitments in the field of international solidarity.

We work specifically with the French government and French MPs. In order to raise awareness about health equity we organize study visits in countries most affected by diseases of poverty, we provide analysis as well as recommendations and evaluation of public policies and communicate concerns from our partners in the global South.

We collaborate closely with other French NGOs within the Coordination Sud coalition, but also within the Collectif Santé Mondiale which gathers 10 organisations (Action contre la Faim, Oxfam, ONE, Equilibres & Populations, le Planning familial, Solidarité Sida, Solthis) calling on the French government to safeguard aid for global health.

GHA’s Brussels office develops recommendations on EU research, health and development budgets and policies that have the potential to help the world reach equitable access to health.

We specifically look at how EU Research policies can better deliver societal impact for its citizens, especially in the area of health and access to medicines. We look at trends in EU development policies, and how they likely affect EU support to global health and nutrition. Our current work is focusing on the recent shift in focus towards migration and security activities as well as the increasing involvement of private sector in development cooperation.

We also work closely with the TB Europe Coalition, a regional network of 200 civil society advocates and activists who are working towards increasing the bottom up community response to the biggest infectious disease killer in the WHO Europe region and the European Alliance for responsible R&D and affordable medicines.

Strategy

“Public policies ensure the right to health for all”

In line with its long-term vision and taking into consideration an ever-changing ecosystem, Global Health Advocates updates its strategic framework every 5 years. Going through such an endeavour helps us position ourselves on emerging global health challenges, and to identify and address neglected areas – those which get the least financing and political attention – in order to fill existing gaps.

Global Health Advocates’ 2022-2027 strategy focuses on health as a global public good and as a fundamental right of every human being. We advocate for health policies and programs to prioritise equity, focusing on the needs of those furthest behind.

This strategy was written in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and reflects a number of lessons we have learned collectively, while trying to improve the world’s global health response.

Global Health Advocates’ strategy for 2022-2027 will focus on addressing two major challenges: increasing access to health and addressing the drivers of health injustice.

To do so, GHA offers three fields of action:

1. Invest in health for all to realise the right to essential health services, to increase global public health spending and make it more effective, and to rethink global solidarity.

2. Advance global health equity by addressing power imbalances between the state and the private sector, through a new global health governance, and through R&D that profits people.

3. Enable partnerships to improve collaboration, to address key determinants of health inequalities and to widen the circle of GHA’s influence.

Global Health Advocates’ 2022-2027 strategic framework relies on 5 fundamental principles of action:

1. Ownership and leadership: GHA believes that civil society, communities and more specifically poor and marginalised populations and their needs should be at the centre of any health related decision-making. In order to highlight their expert contributions, we echoe their analysis, stories and support their advocacy strategies.

2. Human rights-based approach: Human rights-based approach to health policies is at the core of all GHA activities. GHA believes that health is our most basic and essential asset, and everyone should have equal access to health in a non-discriminatory manner, where no attribute, including origin, sex, civil status, sexual orientation, or income status can affect one’s ability to fulfil their right to health.

3. Respect for sovereignty: GHA grounds its activities and collaboration with Southern states, civil society and communities on the principles of mutual respect, country ownership and self-determination.

4. Transparency & Independence: GHA accepts funding only from those donors whose objectives are in line with the vision and the core values of GHA. GHA does not accept funding from those parties, whose involvement in healthcare or in other fields further entrenches health inequality, not fully respecting human rights principles and eroding the long term capacity of governments to provide quality public healthcare services. GHA is committed to respecting a policy of transparency and disclosure for its beneficiaries, donors, and partners by making all relevant information on the allocation and management of its funds.

5. Accountability: GHA is committed to regularly evaluating the effects of its activities. We recognize our responsibility to account for our actions to our partners and donors.

More concretely, the implementation of Global Health Advocates’ strategy is done using 5 complementary working approaches:

1. Policy analysis:

  • We collate quality and evidence-based research, amplifying voices of affected communities.
  • We analyse global health policy at French, EU and international level.
2. Advocacy:

  • We push for political will by advocating towards decision makers at the highest level.
  • We mobilise influence with parliamentarians for concrete policy change.
3. Partnership:

  • We build civil society coalitions for global health to strengthen our advocacy.
  • We support and work with civil society in both francophone and anglophone countries.
  • We build relationships with media, academics and other policy influencers.
4. Resource mobilisation:

  • We mobilise national, regional and international resources to address global health needs.
5. Accountability:

  • We hold donors accountable to their political commitments.
  • We verify and document the impact of global health policies and resources.

Team

Patrick Bertrand

Founder and Executive Director

Patrick Bertrand has more than 20 years of experience in advocating for global health. He is the Director and founder of Global Health Advocates France. He is a founding member of the ACTION Global Health Advocacy Partnership consisting of advocacy organizations working to influence policy and mobilize resources to fight diseases of poverty and improve equitable access to health services. ACTION partners work across five continents in both donor and high burden countries.

Patrick Bertrand is actively involved in various health-related initiatives, including being a former member of the Gavi CSO steering committee as well as the selecting committee of the 5 % initiative.

He holds a Master in Communication from the University of Grenoble, France.

Fanny Voitzwinkler

Development Director

Fanny joined GHA in February 2011, when the GHA’s laison office with the EU institutions was created. As Head of EU Office from 2014 until 2020 she helped grow a team of dedicated global health advocates, and diversified advocacy portfolios and campaigns in the realm of research, health and development aid policies during a few European elections as well as negotiations of EU multi-annual budgets. Fanny was also strongly involved in the development of the TB Europe Coalition, of which she was the Chair of the Board from 2017 to 2019. She now supports development at GHA.

Fanny holds a Master in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from the University of Utrecht. Before joining GHA, she worked for several NGOs in the field of health and human rights in Palestine, in Kosovo, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the European Commission and at the Peacekeeping Operations of the UN in New York City.

Elise Rodriguez

Head of Advocacy, France and EU

Elise joined GHA in January 2020 to help teams based in Brussels and Paris define and implement advocacy strategies in order to secure lasting change in favour of universal access to healthcare.

With a degree in Political Communication, Elise has worked for 15 years in mobilisation and advocacy within solidarity organisations, focusing notably on financing issues within global health, climate and nutrition policies. She led the Advocacy & CSO engagement Unit of Action Against Hunger (ACF), where she coordinated their contribution to big international events, such as the World Health Assembly, COP21, and G7 Summits. She also led a number of capacity building projects to strengthen civil society in the global South.

Daisy Ghobrial

Administrative and Financial Assistant

Daisy obtained her BTS as an Executive assistant in Paris. Before that, she worked as an administrative assistant for a legal firm in Paris and then launched her own restaurant which was a success story for 14 years. She joined GHA in April 2016 to pursue her career and join the fight for Global Health.

PARIS

Gautier Centlivre

Advocacy Coordinator

After graduating from the University of Strasbourg (France) in International and European Law, Gautier joined Global Health Advocates in September 2021 to promote the right to health to the Members of Parliament, French and international decision-makers.

Gautier has worked for 10 years in advocacy within NGOs (Coordination SUD, Solidarité Sida), particularly on issues of development finance and global health policies.

Gautier participated in the French campaigns “Printemps Solidaire” in 2017-18 on official development assistance and “Treatment4all” in 2019 on financing the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria during the Global Fund Replenishment Conference. Gautier has also developed advocacy capacity-building projects for Southern CSOs.

Yann Illiaquer

Analysis and Advocacy Coordinator 

Yann holds a degree in international public law, strategic negotiations and diplomacy. He joined GHA in October 2020 with previous experience in global health. He worked on advocacy for Coalition PLUS, ONE and the 5% Initiative, the indirect contribution of France to the Global Fund to fight HIV/Aids, TB and Malaria.

Before joining GHA he also coordinated the French NGO platform Coordination SUD’s health and development finance committees and the Working Group on the French law programming international aid and the fight against inequalities.

Nina-Flore Eissen

Communications Manager

Nina graduated from Sciences Po. Aix-en-Provence, with a specialisation in European and International Relations, and holds a Master of Arts in Conflict, Security & Development from King’s College London. She joined the organisation in February 2022 to help strengthen external communications at GHA.

Her interest in global health is deeply rooted and dates back from her academic years. Nina also did a couple of volunteer missions in Togo and India back in 2014 and 2015 supporting local organisations involved in the fight against HIV/Aids and tuberculosis.

Over the past ten years, Nina has worked in various capacities in France and abroad for an American university, in the field of university cooperation and in the aid sector. More recently, she was the Communications & Outreach Project Manager of a humanitarian to humanitarian (H2H) organisation specialised in program data management.

Fanny Vesse

Advocacy Officer

Fanny holds a Master’s Degree in international public law and a specialised Master’s Degree in international program management. She started working in advocacy with a first internship at Sidaction, where she supported the analysis and advocacy teams, followed by a second one at Secours Islamique France, in the advocacy and external relations department. In June 2023, Fanny transitioned to the topic of global health by joining GHA’s parliamentary mobilisation team.

Lucile Hermant

Analysis and Advocacy Officer

Lucile had been advocating for international solidarity for 5 years when she joined Global Health Advocates in December 2023 to defend health equity. Her experience has convinced her that Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) play an essential role in making sure that effective health systems are accessible to everyone.

After a Master’s Degree in Public Policy at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and a number of internships in international institutions and NGOs, Lucile worked for two years in Niger with local elected officials to implement the national policy on nutritional security. She also went to Romania and Poland to work on Ukrainian refugees’ access to social services. Additionally, she advocated in France for the involvement of civil societies in decision-making when it comes to health and malnutrition.

Mathilde Pitaval

Task Officer

Mathilde holds a degree in political science from the Political Studies Institute of Aix en Provence and a Master’s Degree in development and humanitarian aid from the University of Paris 1-Panthéon Sorbonne. It was during an internship with the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières that Mathilde reinforced her interest in global health and development issues. She joined GHA in October 2022 to work on the fight against global health inequalities.

Silvia Ferreira

Communications Officer

After volunteering in non-profits fighting against health inequalities in France, Silvia joined Global Health Advocates in January 2024 to support the GHA team on the communications side. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications since September 2023 and previously studied English and Spanish during a Foreign Languages Degree.

BRUSSELS

Rowan Dunn

EU Advocacy Coordinator

Rowan Dunn joined GHA in October 2022 as EU Advocacy Coordinator for the Brussels office. She previously worked in an industry trade association in Brussels, and also brings experience working in a famous international consultancy with major pharmaceutical and tech clients, as well as in academia and in project management.

Rowan comes from a multicultural background and holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and an advanced MA in European Affairs from the College of Europe. She is passionate about gender equality, the environment, transparency, and ensuring that healthcare advances and innovation benefit the greater social good.

Manon Kayser

EU Advocacy Officer

Manon joined GHA in March 2022 to advocate for a better inclusion of global health in the EU’s development policies. Passionate about social justice and intersectionality, she carries on her commitment to the right to health for all. She previously worked at the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in Brussels where she first got involved in advocacy by working on the protection and promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the EU’s external development policies.

She holds an MA in Public Law and Administration from Sciences Po Strasbourg, as well as an MA in International Relations and EU Diplomacy from the College of Europe of Bruges.

Tarita Baldan

EU Advocacy and Policy Officer

Tarita holds a Master degree in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Florence, obtained in 2018. Prior to joining GHA, she has worked at different institutions including VOICE, the platform of European humanitarian NGOs, advocating for greater quality and effectiveness of EU’s humanitarian aid.

Tarita joined GHA in August 2021 and is committed to the fight to eradicate poverty in all its forms and to reduce the inequalities and vulnerabilities in the world.

Jade Person

EU Advocacy and Policy Assistant

Jade holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political science and a Master’s Degree in Children’s Rights. After an internship in communication & marketing and a traineeship at the UNICEF EU office as a Policy and Advocacy trainee, she joins GHA as a Policy and advocacy assistant in March 2024.

Her diverse background allows her to master the intricacies of the EU policy landscape, produce impactful policy content and craft strategic initiatives. Her passion lies in advocating for children’s health issues, approaching them with a human-centered perspective. Jade’s ultimate goal is to promote universal health coverage, prioritizing public interest over market-oriented approaches.

Networks

GHA is a member of a wide range of networks and civil society coalitions working in the field of global health and development aid:

 

 

Action is a global partnership of advocacy organisations working to influence policy and mobilize resources to fight diseases of poverty and improve equitable access to health services. GHA is a founding member of ACTION.

 


 

 

Created in 2009, the TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) is a regional advocacy network of more than 200 civil society organisations and individuals from across the WHO Europe region, comprising Western and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. The network aims to strengthen the role of civil society within the regional response to tuberculosis (TB), and ensure political and financial commitments to end TB. GHA is a founding member of TBEC. It helped register TBEC as an independent legal entity and chaired its board from 2017 until 2019.

 

 

CONCORD is the European Confederation of Relief and Development NGOs and the main interlocutor with the EU institutions on development policy. GHA was a Board Member of CONCORD from 2015 until 2019, representing the French NGO Coalition Coordination Sud.

 


Coordination SUD is the French national platform of international solidarity NGOs. Founded in 1994, it brings together more than 164 NGOs active in the fields of humanitarian aid, development assistance, environmental protection, the defense of disadvantaged people’s human rights and international solidarity education and advocacy. Coordination SUD fulfills a dual mission of supporting the professionalization of French NGOs and representing their positions to public and private institutions in France, Europe and around the world. GHA was a Board member of Coordination Sud from 2015 until 2019 and an active member of its Health Committee and its ODA & Development Financing Committee. GHA now leads Coordination Sud’s European Affairs Committee and acts as the point person for the G7 Steering Committee of Coordination Sud’s Board.

 

GHA helped create the Collectif Santé Mondiale, which gathers 10 organisations calling on the French government to safeguard aid for global health, with a specific focus on nutrition, health systems strengthening, sexual and reproductive health and rights and pandemics.

 

 

European Parliament Working Group on Innovation, Access to Medicines and Poverty-Related Diseases 

This European Parliament Working Group aims to ensure that the EU adopts appropriate measures that improve access to existing medical tools (medicines, diagnostics, vaccines) and stimulate the research and development (R&D) of urgently-needed better tools for people in developing countries, notably for poverty-related diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. GHA co-led the Secretariat of the Group together with MSF Access Campaign from 2010 until 2019.

 

The Generation Nutrition campaign gathers NGOs advocating for the fight against malnutrition at the EU level . The goal is to galvanize political will so that we can be the generation that ends under-nutrition for good. GHA is the founder of Generation Nutrition EU and coordinated the campaign from 2016 until 2018.

 

As part of the Equality Generation Forum, Global Health Advocates is part of the Generations Feminist Collective with fifty other French organizations with various identities, through an inclusive, intergenerational, and intersectional approach.

As part of the European Alliance for Responsible R&D and Affordable Medicines, an alliance of representatives of civil society, consumer, patient and public health organisations, GHA raises awareness and advocates for reform of the pharmaceutical R&D model. The Alliance calls for the creation of an R&D system that is driven by public health needs, results in public goods and delivers medicines that are universally accessible and affordable. GHA is a member of the Coordination Committee of the Alliance since 2017.

 

SDG Watch Europe is a new EU-level cross-sectoral CSO alliance of NGOs from development, environment, social, human rights and other sectors. Its goal is to hold governments to account for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs). GHA was a Steering Committee member from 2017 until 2019.

 


People’s Budget Campaign and network wants a united Europe. The key to unlocking a positive new vision is rethinking the EU Budget to make it work for citizens. We want to believe in a brighter future, where Europe is reconnected to its people and values. We want to rethink where the money goes in order to build an economy that is more equal and sustainable. An economy based on well-being. GHA was a contributing and founding member of the People’s Budget Campaign.

 

 

Civil Society Forum (CSF) on HIV/Aids, Viral Hepatits and Teberculosis

The Civil Society Forum (CSF) has been established by the European Commission as an informal working group to facilitate the participation of non-governmental organizations, including those representing people living with HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and Tuberculosis in policy development and implementation. It also provides a platform for information exchange and strategic thinking on improving EU’s policy response to the three diseases. GHA represented the TB Europe Coalition within the Coordination Committee of the CSF from 2016 until 2019.

 

The Global TB Caucus is a global networks of parliamentarians united to end Tuberculosis. It aims to transform the fight against TB by targeted national, regional and global interventions. Officially launched in 2014 in Barcelona, the Caucus has become one of the biggest parliamentary networks worldwide, with more than 2500 parliamentarians from 150 countries. It is structured around four regional networks and one francophone network since 2016 : the Francophone TB Caucus, for which GHA acted as Secretariat from 2016 until 2019.

 


UHC2030 is the global movement built on the International Health Partnership (IHP+). UHC2030 provides a multi-stakeholder platform co-facilitated by the World Bank and the WHO and encourages global and national collaboration to strengthen health systems, increase political commitments on universal health coverage and evaluate progress towards reaching SDG 3. As CSO representative to HIP+, GHA helped create UHC2030, specifically in the area of governance and strategic development. GHA helped the creation of the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism of UHC2030 (CSEM) to guarantee that civil society’s voice will be heard in the governance and activities of this newly formed partnership. GHA acted as Secretariat of CSEM until April 2018. Today, as a member of CSEM we continue to advocate for UHC, while focusing on primary health care and equitable health financing at global and national level. GHA works towards improving collaboration and coordination between civil society groups and identifying advocacy opportunities that reinforce their objectives and accelerate progress towards UHC.

Global Health Advocates has a Board of Directors, which meets regularly throughout the year to provide guidance and leadership to the organisation. The Board currently has 5 voluntary members with a broad range of experience in organisational management, global health and advocacy. They are:

Alexia Sena, President 

Alexia Sena is a French journalist from Cameroon. She develops content for French business and media and facilitates online radio programmes in Cameroon. After 10 years of work experience in the field of financial advise (KPMG and Accuracy in Paris), Alexia started a career in journalism. She taught finance in universities and business schools like Science Po and Skema School in Paris.

Sonja Read, Treasurer

Sonja Read is a public health nutritionist, specialised in malnutrition in children under 6 months. She holds a BA in business management and worked in administrative positions in different NGOs. Sonja currently works for the French Islamic relief in Palestine.

Louis Da Gama

Louis Da Gama is Director of the Princess of Africa Foundation and Humanitarian Adviser to UNICEF & Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Campaign Goodwill Ambassador, musician and celebrity Yvonne Chaka Chaka. The Foundation’s advocacy focus is on Malaria, AIDS, TB, Reproductive Maternal Child, Newborn Health and Nutrition with an emphasis on Women and Girls.

Serge Breysse

Serge Breysse is a medical doctor, with a public health degree. He has been working with several NGO’s (ACF, MSf, MDM, Save the Children) in Africa, Asia, and Europe. He did set up the advocacy department of ACF and later managed the Expertise and advocacy department and the ACF research Foundation. He has also regularly been intervening in academic courses on health, hunger, and humanitarian issues. He is currently director of GloPID-R Secretariat, an initiative to improve the funding of research in emerging outbreak

Simon Wright

Simon Wright is the Head of Child Survival for Save the Children and has worked in global health and development for nearly 20 years. He is a strong proponent of Universal Health Coverage.

Walid Rachedi

Walid Rachedi is co-founder and Publishing Director of Frictions.co. He is also a novelist and screenwriter. Before founding Frictions, Walid worked for 15 years in the corporate world, mainly in the digital sector, in France and internationally (United States and Latin America). He graduated from University Paris Saclay, business school (Neoma Business School – Program Grandes Ecoles) and a bachelor in cinema (Paris I – Sorbonne). He teaches digital communication and entrepreneurship at Paris Saclay and IESEG.

Global Health Advocates is certified as equivalent to a Certified Public Charity: