WHIS Inspire | Edition 2 | June 2021

TOGETHER WE page i

INSPIRE TO THE MOON, MARS AND BEYOND: HOW DO WE SET OURSELVES UP TO NOT JUST SURVIVE BUT THRIVE IN SPACE?

EDITION 2 JUNE 2021

– DR. SHAWNA PANDYA

www.whis.uk

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INTRODUCTION Welcome to the World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS), a platform for sustainable development to improve the world that we live in, now and for the future.

Our digital magazine, WHIS Inspire, is a way in which we can explore the fields of healthcare and sustainability on a global scale while openly sharing knowledge and developing solutions together.

Through this, we provide inspiring content that is dedicated to the innovative advanced across the globe, designed to give the tools and inspiration that empower individuals and their communities to make a difference to their lives and others.

In September 2015, 193 heads of state pledged their commitment to implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals at the United

Nations. Throughout the magazine, you’ll find interesting stories from our colleagues and friends around the world who are leading positive change and implementing the sustainable development goals.

We have partnered with the UNGSII Foundation which was created to assist and accelerate the implementation process their mission is to ensure that the world reaches its goal, at the latest, by 2030. Our role is to support the Foundation with the implementation of sustainable development goal 3, Good Health & Wellbeing.

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contact@whisinspire.com Join us on social media using the hashtag #WHIS

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MEET THE TEAM THIS MAGAZINE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY A CREATIVE TEAM OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS THAT ARE FULL OF INNOVATIVE IDEAS AND DESIGNS.

EMILY DODD

JOSH ENTWISTLE

ANNA CUTTERIDGE

Director & Editor in Chief

Director of Design

Writer & Journalist

Emily has a demonstrated history in creative copy and content writing and loves nothing more than creating meaningful media that inspires others. With extensive experience and a keen eye for detail, she has built a comprehensive portfolio of written work for clients across various sectors.

Josh is a talented graphic designer who has worked with a range of clients and boasts a broad background in a variety of different industries.

With a lifelong passion for the creative arts, Josh has a strong focus on editorial design and commercial branding. He takes pride in producing unique designs that reinforce a brand’s ethos and values.

Anna is a Journalist and Psychotherapist from London.

With experience working in a range of mental health settings, she writes articles and interviews exploring psychology, philosophy, and contemporary arts with her blog and seeks new and inspiring stories to share.

GARETH PRESCH Founder & CEO of WHIS Gareth is a social entrepreneur, problem solver and healthcare strategist who believes in sharing knowledge for the greater good.

He is the founder and CEO of the World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS), UNGSII Expert Lead for SDG3/4, Member of the Pope Francis Vatican COVID-19 Commission, and Founder of the Global Social Prescribing Alliance.

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Together, we can achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

OPPORTUNITIES EMERGING FROM COVID-19 GARETH PRESCH Founder & CEO of WHIS

Ben Wilkins

Martin Ong’wen

Steffi Singh

Tyson Nicholas

We believe the opportunity exists to establish a new sustainable health and social care model.

The world faces serious challenges at the moment.

Climate change, poverty, pollution, healthcare inequalities, employment, biodiversity loss, access to quality education and COVID-19 - these are all but a few of the global challenges that we face today.

The past year has been difficult for many people around the world. While we’re facing uncertainty, one thing is certain: change is coming. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that we need to embrace new ways of working.

Despite the challenges we face, we see hope and opportunities emerge. Action is taking place across the world as we work together to create a better and more sustainable future for everyone.

We’ve welcomed Klagenfurt to our SDG Cities programme and we recently had the opportunity to discuss how we can move forward during COVID-19 at the Global Solutions Summit (G20) LIVE from Berlin. The Summit supports the T20 and G20 under the Italian G20 Presidency, bringing together top researchers, policymakers, business leaders and civil society representatives in a renowned global problemsolving process. The event focused heavily on a Great Realignment in the post-

COVID world, in the spirit of recoupling economic progress with social prosperity and environmental sustainability.

We discussed and highlighted the opportunities ahead of us in our panel session, “Moving forward during COVID19 - Implementing Good Health and Wellbeing”, which involved James Sanderson, CEO, National Academy Social Prescribing, Director of Personalised Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement; Roland Schatz, CEO and Founder, UNGSII Foundation; and Päivi Sillanaukee, Ambassador for Health and Wellbeing, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland.

From launching the Global Social Prescribing Alliance “Playbook” to establishing a “Just Transition Fund”, our session gave an insight into how we can improve people’s health and wellbeing, support our health services, create new and meaningful jobs while implementing the global goals by 2030.

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We are looking forward to taking part in this month’s World Health Summit in Kampala, Uganda, where Global Health Leaders will come together to discuss how we manage the current challenges while looking to the future and determine what will be required to implement SDG3 Good Health & Wellbeing.

As we begin the build-up to COP26 later this year, we’ll be developing our activities through our WHISGreen platform with the aim to support the transition to clean energy, waste and water while supporting the environment.

We now also have a number of WHIS Expert Groups established and we’re grateful for their commitment to improving patient care around the world.

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment - Chaired by Deirdre Carbery with members Tyson Nicholas, Steffi Singh, Amany Yehia, Keira Lonergan MSK - Chaired by Ben Wilkins with members Jack Chew, Meg Lowry, Martin Ong’wen, Joost van Wijchen, Ruth Sephton, Darshan Allirajan.

STAY UP TO DATE

We are launching Shared Decisions and Personalised Care jointly Chaired by Dr Minas Chrysopoulo and Patient Leader Terri Coutee with new groups in Health Literacy, Sound Medicine, Arts and Health, and Space Medicine launching soon.

This edition covers inspiring topics on health education, gender equality, innovation, global wellness and creative initiatives that are focused towards implementing the UN’s sustainable development goals. We’re also excited to feature our first article on Space Medicine by Dr. Shawna Pandya which addresses healthcare requirements and possibilities on Earth and in outer space. We hope you enjoy reading our magazine!

We are grateful to all of our contributors for collaborating with us to share this inspiring content, and a special thanks to Prof Dennis Snower and his team for the opportunity and their support at the Global Solutions Summit.

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WHIS speaks to Artists from around the world working creatively to improve people’s health and wellbeing

2021 SO FAR February •

25th - Virtual Launch of the Global Social Prescribing Alliance

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Gareth Presch gives a keynote ‘From Family to UN SDGs’ at the UK’s first Child Health Technology Conference WHIS hosts the Social Prescribing Champions Scheme Webinar WHIS hosts a Webinar on Art Programmes in the Health Sector with WHO WHIS attends the 3rd International Social Prescribing Network Conference ‘Social prescribing & community beyond the pandemic’ WHIS Talks shares its Webinar on Digital Healthcare Telemedicine Gareth Presch discusses the opportunities to develop Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure in an article with Investment Monitor.

March

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WHIS UPDATES

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STAY UP TO DATE AND VIEW OUR VIDEOS & WEBINARS, LISTEN TO OUR WHIS PODCASTS OR WATCH OUR WHIS TALKS.

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April •

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Gareth Presch joins the panel discussion at the World Sepsis Congress WHIS hosts a Webinar on Fitness and Social Prescribing

May •

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7th - WHIS hosted its next Art Programmes in the Health Sector Webinar with WHO 14th - WHIS hosted its Social Prescribing Champions event for Portugal 19th-20th - Gareth Presch spoke on SDGs at the World Humanitarian Forum London 27th-28th - Gareth Presch Chaired the Health Session at the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin

Portugal Social Prescribing Student Champion Scheme

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Global sector leaders discuss how the fitness industry and social prescribing can support the recovery from COVID-19 and the implementation of SDG3

WHAT’S NEXT? WHAT DOES THE REST OF 2021 HAVE IN STORE...

June • •

7th-25th - Arts for SDGs exhibition takes place (partnered with WHIS) 27th-30th: Gareth will be Chairing the SDGs and Cities at the World Health Summit Regional Meeting in Uganda

July •

9th - WHIS Talks Webinar on Digital Healthcare & Health Literacy

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25th - Global Goals Concerts and SDG Finance Conference for 25+5

September

October • • •

23rd-25th - World UN Day - Youth Implementation 27th: The Good Summit event at Trinity College, Dublin (partnered with WHIS) 30th-31st - Global Urban Forum, Shanghai

November • •

1st-12th - COP26, Glasgow TBC: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment - 16 Days of Activism

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3rd-6th - SCR 500 2021 Champions, Abu Dhabi 20th-24th - Dinner Concerts for Humanity

December

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GLOBAL SOLUTIONS SUMMIT BERLIN, 27-28TH MAY 2021

On 27-28th May, Global Solutions Initiative held the Global Solutions Summit 2021.

Named ‘The Great Realignment’, the summit focussed primarily on global issues highlighted and exacerbated

by COVID-19, which have revealed a need for support and drastic reform in systemic, governance, ecological, social, economic and technological areas. By bringing together top policymakers, business leaders and civil society, the aim is of a universal call to action: to put people and the planet back at the heart of change.

Put people and the planet back at the heart of change.

On Thursday 27th May, Gareth Presch moderated the Moving forward during COVID-19 while implementing SDG3 Good Health & Wellbeing session, where sustainable initiatives were discussed to revolutionise the healthcare system to support health and wellbeing in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3. Panellists included Felix Tshisekedi President of the Democratic Republic of Congo and African Union; James Sanderson, CEO, National Academy of Social Prescribing; Roland Schatz, CEO, UNGSII; and Päivi Sillanaukee, Ambassador for Health and Wellbeing, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland.

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WORLD HEALTH SUMMIT REGIONAL MEETING KAMPALA, 27-30TH JUNE 2021

Each year, the World Health Summit in Berlin is complemented by an annual Regional Meeting in a different part of the world, where health professionals and other stakeholders in government and the private sector discuss local and regional topics that come to the forefront.

However, last year’s Regional Meeting in Kampala, Uganda had to be postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s World Health Summit Regional Meeting will take place on 27-30th June and will be the first ever to be hosted in Africa, with the aim to address and meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and achieve universal health coverage. Key opinion leaders from politics, academia, civil society and the healthcare industry will come together to share joint opportunities and responsibilities in improving health in Africa and globally.

The programme includes central topics such as Advancing Technology for Health in Africa, NonCommunicable Diseases, the Health of the African Youth, Global Health Security & Infectious Diseases, and the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

To bring expert knowledge to the discussion, WHIS has been invited to speak on the high-level key Panel Discussion on the topic Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Control on SDG Implementation Progress.

Speakers will include Dr Manuela Boyle and Dr Nasibu Mwande at this year’s Regional Meeting.

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CONTENTS WHIS INSPIRE Page 01

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Shared Decision Making Patient & Physician Perspectives On Shared Decision-Making

Future Center Alliance A Platform For Collaborative Innovation

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World Wellness Weekend A Global Wellness Event To Connect Communities

Gender Equality Has Covid-19 Derailed Gender Equality Gains?

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iSHA Improving Somali Health Awareness

Space Medicine Medical Advances On Earth & In Space

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C O N T R I B U TO R S THANK YOU TO EVERYONE INVOLVED Page 13

Terri Coutee

Klagenfurt A Smart City Strategy

Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo Page 15 Women Leaders An Interview With Nicole De Paula

Page 17 Art For SDGs Artistic Exploration To Build Health Resilience

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Jean-Guy de Gabriac

Zainab Jama

Fatumah Jama

The Good Summit Learning From & Moving Forward From COVID-19/20/21

Kozue Nakayama

Noboru Konno

Deirdre Carbery

Dr. Shawna Pandya

Dr. Nicole de Paula

Isabelle Wachsmuth

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SHARED DECISIONMAKING PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN PERSPECTIVES ON SHARED DECISIONMAKING Shared decision-making is a concept and an action. Shared decisionmaking occurs when the health care professional and patient work to develop a treatment plan that is best for the patient. The best decision takes into account evidencebased information about the various treatment options, the physician’s knowledge and experience, and the patient’s preferences, values, and other life factors they may consider important. It is the epitome of patient centered care and requires competences from both the patient and the healthcare professional.

BENEFITS OF SHARED DECISION-MAKING FOR THE PHYSICIAN Without appropriate expectations, patients are much more likely to be unhappy with the results of their treatment or procedure and may suffer decisional regret. Shared decisionmaking prevents this cycle by placing the patient’s preferences and values at the center of the decision-making process. Multiple studies throughout various medical fields have shown shared decision-making improves patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Shared decision-making can also be quite rewarding for the physician - not only is it an effective and ethical way to interact with patients, it creates the opportunity to deliver more patientcentered care. While some treatment options or procedures may have proven advantages in certain clinical situations, there is often no universal ‘best’ choice and as doctors, we must acknowledge that patient needs and wants can vary tremendously. Physicians must be willing to acknowledge and consider patients’ personal values and preferences while assessing and discussing what is medically appropriate and reasonable. In doing so, shared decision-making not only improves patient satisfaction and outcomes but is also an effective and extremely ethical approach in ensuring patient goals are met whenever possible.

While shared decision-making is standard of care, unfortunately it is not standard practice.

An important factor here is time; many patients feel they don’t have enough time to process all the information and can feel they are being rushed into making a decision. In addition, some physicians, through no fault of their own, simply do not have adequate time to allow for a shared decision-making conversation with every patient.

This is where patient-centered decision aids are invaluable, providing patients the opportunity to access and review the information they need at their own pace.

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TERRI COUTEE & DR. MINAS CHRYSOPOULO Chairs of WHIS Shared Decisions and Personalised Care Expert Group VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO

THE SHARED DECISIONMAKING TOOLBOX FOR THE PATIENT Patients require a varying degree of autonomy in a shared decision-making consultation. It can be influenced by the resources available, the patient’s culture and experiential background, and the degree to which the patient wants to be involved in the decision-making process.

Health literacy also plays a crucial role in the level of patient interaction during shared decision-making. Some patients already have a broad understanding of what their diagnosis is before their initial consultation based on their own research. These patients are often better served by focusing on specifics of care rather than generalities. Many will rely heavily on the healthcare professional to drive the discussion.

Both are considered shared decision-making as the patient is deciding the level of autonomy they feel they need.

In each scenario, there is vocabulary patients can use and skills they can practice during a consultation.

Some skills to use: •

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Listening skills are paramount to a successful shared decision-making conversation. Remember, listening is a two-way street.

Time: Knowing how much time you will have for a consult can streamline your approach and questions to ask.

Not all physicians have the same time available through no fault of their own.

Some questions to consider asking: • •

• • •

What are all my options?

Can you tell me your level of experience, and success with the options, with each of the options you have presented to me?

What are the risks and benefits of each option?

How will this affect my current lifestyle during my recovery?

How much support will I need at home for this treatment or surgery?

BENEFITS OF SHARED DECISION-MAKING Patients who feel fully informed and involved in their treatment decision-making are happier, more compliant, and have better outcomes. In addition, well-informed preference-based patient decisions may lead to safer, more cost-effective healthcare, which in turn might result in reduced healthcare utilization rates.

READ MORE

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WORLD WELLNESS WEEKEND

18 TH -19 T H SEPTEMBER 2021

“There is no nobler mission in life than to encourage each & everyone to become the best version of themselves, in alignment with their heart, head & guts” –Jean-Guy de Gabriac, founder of World Wellness Weekend World Wellness Weekend is a non-profit planetary event that promotes the five pillars of Wellness: sleep & creativity, nutrition & immunity, movement & vitality, mindfulness & serenity, and sense of purpose & solidarity Each year, before the September Equinox, the event takes place with the aim to showcase the expertise and passion of wellness and fitness professionals while encouraging the local community to be more active, more often, with friends and family.

WHAT IS WORLD WELLNESS WEEKEND? Launched in 2017, World Wellness Weekend is a non-profit event aligned with the United Nations SDG3 (Good Health & Well-being For All). With the belief that Social Prescribing is truly a catalyst to promote prevention and healthy lifestyle choices, the celebration connects communities across the world through a range of wellness initiatives.

In September 2020, the event was celebrated by 1,123 venues in 543 cities in 109 countries, from Argentina to Zambia.

As of today, 1,380 venues are listed on the Wellness Map and appear united in 131 countries (943 cities).

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WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS YEAR? On the fifth World Wellness Weekend (18-19 September 2021), thousands of wellness, sports, tourism and hospitality professionals will open their doors to the public, in order to organise (donate) safe, fun and free 60-minute activities, classes, workshops or talks.

Through these initiatives, millions of people will have access to lifestyle advice - healthy tips in five key areas that we call the ‘5 Pillars of Wellness’: better sleep to increase creativity, better nutrition to strengthen immunity, more movement to enhance vitality, deeper sense of mindfulness to enjoy serenity and a heightened sense of purpose to share more solidarity.

On the same dates, beauty schools in France and Canada will offer complimentary wellness workshops and beauty treatments to local Doctors and Nurses. This ‘Care for Care-Givers’ initiative was launched in February, 2020 at the UNGSII ThinkTank during the World Economic Forum in Davos #WellnessForDoctors #WellnessForNurses

GET INVOLVED See a world connected by wellness, from sunrise in Fiji until sunrise in Hawaii!

All professionals have to do is sign up on the Wellness Map (available in 16 languages) in order to create their page with upcoming wellness activities, classes, workshops, retreats, and they will appear on the World Wellness Map. They agree to offer on September 18th or 19th, a 60 minutes workshop in person, or a video tutorial to share their passion and healthy tips with their local community and clients.

All the public has to do is visit Wellness Map, click on the Locate me! button or type the name of a city and select the activities that they want to join, which they could then share with friends and family, the ones we call Wellness Buddies.

#WorldWellnessWeekend #WellnessForAll #WellnessByAll

JEAN-GUY DE GABRIAC Founder of World Wellness Weekend VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO

READ MORE

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IMPROVING SOMALI HEALTH AWARENESS iSHA (improving Somali health awareness) is a non-profit organisation, co-founded in December 2020, that aims to combat poor health literacy within the Somali community. There are approximately 108,000 Somali people residing in the UK according to the Office for National Statistics in 2018. Somali people are at a higher risk for developing COVID-19 amongst other diseases such as CVD and diabetes. Despite this, there are barely any research articles highlighting this. In addition, there is not a lot of information regarding health literacy within the Somali community and as such, one of iSHA’s aims is to spread awareness of this issue and publish research articles to fill the research gap for this community.

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ZAINAB JAMA & FATUMAH JAMA Co-Founders of iSHA VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO With the onset of COVID-19, an incredible surge in the spread of misinformation was observed, particularly through social media.

Witnessing first-hand how quickly people in our communities were believing false information and spreading it to others truly reflected poor health awareness and therefore sparked a passion to want to strengthen the community to make better-informed health decisions.

Health literacy is defined as “the personal characteristics and social resources needed for individuals and communities to access, understand, appraise and use information and services to make decisions about health”.1 Poor health literacy is a growing issue with a global impact.

According to the NHS, 43-61% of English adults were shown to have difficulty understanding health information. If over half of English adults are struggling with health literacy, the question arises: what number of ethnic minorities are struggling as a result of English being their second or third language?

With a surge in technological advancements in the last decade, information can be easily accessed by millions of people. This information can be uploaded by anyone and can include personal opinions regarding various health issues, to critical information from governing bodies regarding guidelines for the current pandemic. As a result, the amount of information available has also surged exponentially; Sentell et al. (2020) refer to this as an “infodemic”.5 Filtering out what’s relevant, and more importantly, what is true, has now become increasingly difficult and it is having a direct impact on health literacy.

As part of iSHA, we currently produce a wide range of educational content on social media platforms which is focused on breaking down complicated health information, as well as holding Zoom Q&A webinars where we answer unique questions from Somalis both in the UK and in homeland Somalia, with an all Somali academic panel.

Our most recent event was a highly successful COVID-19 Q&A Zoom webinar where we invited several Somali academics, including an immunologist, clinical trials manager, and a cardiologist, to provide sought after answers regarding vaccine controversy to the Somali people in their mother tongue. We have also conducted an interview with a British Somali GP in Somali to help dispel further myths surrounding the pandemic.

As of current, we are focusing our content on COVID-19, however, we will soon be releasing content that will start to shed some light on other health issues that affect the Somali community including mental health and cancer.

Furthermore, we are designing a study that highlights the effect of low health literacy in the Somali community and how iSHA is making a positive impact.

It is extremely vital that ethnic minority groups are provided with the information they need to digest and break down complicated health information that is written in their second or third language. We at iSHA, are here to make a change and empower Somalis to make guided and informed decisions about their health.

READ MORE

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FUTURE CENTER ALLIANCE JAPAN: A PLATFORM FOR COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION

Notwithstanding the effectiveness of fast-developing methods for tackling environmental pressures, there is still much need for more innovative tools in order to address problems which remain a threat to the future of our society. Future Center Alliance (FCA) have come forward to meet those challenges head on.

FCA is a diverse alliance of pioneers and organizations, who altogether form platforms for collaborative innovation with 12 key values. Through prototyping new services and products, they target complex social, economic, ecological, and political challenges in order to develop a profound and sustainable impact on the future.

PLURAL SECTOR TO ACCELERATE THE PLACE FOR OPEN AND SOCIETAL INNOVATION. The Japanese branch, Future Center Alliance Japan (FCAJ) is an organization in which academia, public, and private sectors participate and collaborate as a plural sector that connects social and economic sectors.

We have been working across boundaries since 2016, committed to being a ‘place (a)’ for social and open innovation to address future challenges and envision new industries.

Cumulatively, we have over 80 members, including local and national governments, universities, research institutions, and private companies.

Discovering viewpoints, co-creating and sharing hypothesis among players, users and citizens

Innovation Centers

Future Centers

Prototyping, co-creation/ co-development

Coexperimenting, observations, scanning the futures, exploring issues, feedback

Living Labs

FCAJ ‘s activities consist of three domains: Open Innovation Program in which our member companies and organizations launch programs to solve social issues across disciplines.

Academy in which members learn skills to promote open innovation and develop future leaders.

Open Thinktank which conducts research and development.

In all three domains, the ‘ba’ (place) is essential for stimulating dialogue and generating new ideas. It is crucial to create a path to co-creation and practice of the participants’ purposes - a method called ‘Purpose Engineering’.

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KOZUE NAKAYAMA & NOBORU KONNO VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been impossible to meet in a physical place.

We are using online features to enhance our seminars, which focus on issues of social importance, such as circular society.

However, whether virtual or physical, places where people from anywhere can easily connect are becoming critical. We have developed and are promoting EMIC, a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of such places.

For a complex and highly uncertain future, the requirement for open innovation that is available to society is increasing from closed innovation within the company.

Open Innovation has been adopted by many companies as a way of sharing mutual resources and encouraging co-creation through consortiums between companies, industry-academia collaboration, and joint development of companies.

Furthermore, Open Innovation 2.0, which involves the transformation of social systems such as the SDGs, is a multi-stakeholder innovation that creates economic and social value through co-creation in the ecosystem of diverse sectors of industry, government, academia and the private sector.

“A scientific eye with an “altruistic heart” is essential to revitalize the economy, art, and science in times of emergency.”

SOME STATISTICS The Ageing Population The world’s ageing population is growing dramatically. Of any country in the world, Japan has the highest proportion of elderly citizens, accounting for a record 28.4% of the country’s population.

These trends are altering many aspects of Japanese social life. The ageing and declining of the working-age population sparks fears around the future of the nation’s workforce and economy, and the availability of healthcare services.

Air Pollution and Global Warming The effects of climate change are already impacting Japan. In terms of air pollution, Japan has one of the highest number of related deaths worldwide.

In one study, it was suggested that by starting with Japan, we can eradicate a number of climate problems which would otherwise proliferate drastically on a global scale. These figures have incited the Japanese government to take action through implementing new policies which reverse the effects.

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GENDER EQUALITY IN THE WAKE OF COVID-19

Amany Yehia and Keira Lonergan. Members of WHIS Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Expert Group

HAS COVID-19 DERAILED GENDER EQUALITY GAINS? A pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan, China was first reported to the WHO Country Office in China on 31 December 2019. The outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020.

On 11 February 2020, WHO announced a name for the new coronavirus disease: COVID-19.

DEIRDRE CARBERY Human Security & Gender Advisor & Chair of WHIS Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Expert Group VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO

COVID-19 does not discriminate—but people and social structures do discriminate.

Measures to slow the spread of the virus continue to restrict people’s movements, keeping people at home and halting vital daily activities. More than 1 billion children and youth found themselves out of school over the past 18 months, resulting in learning deficits for students, particularly those from poor households. Around 94% of the world’s workers live in countries where some type of work closures occurred.

A number of studies have highlighted the devastating macro-level impact of COVID-19 on women. The International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that women are more likely to work in harder-hit and higher risk sectors—such as healthcare, social and domestic work; and United Nations (UN) analysis finds that women (and girls) have borne the brunt of school closures in terms of increased unpaid work and reduced levels of education and that “gender-based violence is increasing exponentially.”

While women and men make up an equal share of those infected with COVID-19, men are more likely to die from the disease. Biologically, this could be because females tend to have stronger immune responses. However, other factors may also be at play, including gender differences in behaviour that affects health, such as smoking.

While women have a longer life expectancy than men, they spend less years living in good health.

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Women and girls have been especially impacted by the economic and social fallout of the pandemic. Women are losing their livelihoods faster because they are more exposed to hard-hit economic sectors. According to the analysis commissioned by UN Women and UNDP, this year, around 435 million women and girls will be living on less than $1.90 a day — including 47 million pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19. The impacts are not just economic.

The shift of funds to pandemic response is hampering women’s access to sexual and reproductive health. Violence against women reports have increased around the world, as widespread stay-at home orders force women to shelter in place with their abusers, often with tragic consequences. More people at home also means that the burden of unpaid care and domestic work has increased for women and girls, literally driving some to the breaking point.

Crisis can exacerbate existing inequalities within a community power structure, and lead to an increase in sexual and gender-based violence. Disasters and crises increase women’s vulnerabilities and susceptibility to exploitation and violence for a variety of reasons including poverty, gender roles, and the burden of caretaking responsibilities. These vulnerabilities are supported by a culture and society that in the best of times witness the sexual assault of girls and women by men at disproportionately high rates. During times of disaster, the stress, fear and sense of helplessness associated with emergency tend to increase risk factors for perpetration of violence against women.

An examination of 115 COVID-19 decision-making and expert task forces across 87 countries found that in 85% the majority of members are men.

COVID-19 has exposed vulnerabilities in our social, political and economic systems. It is forcing a shift in priorities and funding across public and private sectors, with far-reaching effects on the well-being of women and girls. Women must be the architects as well as the beneficiaries of efforts to build back stronger and better in response to these highly visible fault lines.

16.5% - The average decline in women’s incomes versus 10.1% for men.

14.1% - The gender pay gap in the EU (women earn 85.9% of what men do).

READ MORE

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SPACE MEDICINE, EARTH MEDICINE: SAME, SAME...BUT DIFFERENT When I first became an aquanaut, my friend, knowing my love of water and space, sent me a graphic of an aquanaut and an astronaut, floating in water and space, respectively, with the caption, “same, same...but different.” I loved it at the time, and think back to it frequently when about challenges in space medicine and terrestrial medicine.

The hazards associated with the spaceflight environment are myriad, but generally fall into one of 5 categories: microgravity, distance from Earth, radiation, isolation and confinement, and hostile environments, which covers everything from altered day-night cycles to exposure to lunar dust. Microgravity alone affects nearly every single bodily system, resulting in decreased muscle mass, loss of bone density, and fluid shifts, causing congestion and even increased pressure around the brain and eyes in some astronauts.

Knowing this, it makes perfect sense that “space medicine” as a field of study exists.

If we are knowingly sending humans to live and work in a high-risk environment, we want to prepare them at every step of the mission timeline, starting right at selection, and continuing pre-, post- and during flight.

Identifying and mitigating human health challenges in space is but one part of the puzzle. The other challenge of human spaceflight has to do with constraints space is not just risky, it is also expensive.

It costs thousands of dollars to transport a single kilogram of material to space, and we have limited supplies and resources. In addition, astronauts have a lot of skills to master and a heavy operational schedule to manage. A workday, on the International Space Station, for example, is scheduled down to 5-minute intervals. Knowing all of this, anything we pack with us, even if it is to be “medical-grade,” has to be low-mass, low-volume, low-cost, low-power, easy to use, and have a long shelf-life.

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DR. SHAWNA PANDYA VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO

So how do we set ourselves up to not just survive but thrive in space? By utilizing emerging technologies that can enable us to flourish in austere environments, while adhering to the constraints of the spaceflight environment, and testing these technologies and protocols in similar, or analogous environments to Earth, we are as prepared as possible when it comes to actual spaceflight. We call this type of testing ‘analog environment testing’.

In one example, I partnered with Luxsonic Technologies, a Canadian company specializing in immersive technologies for medical education and healthcare access, to test a medical virtual reality radiology suite.

I have since joined the company as VP of Immersive Medicine, and we are developing a VR-based medical education model for the Canadian Space Agency, with a view towards helping astronauts maintain their skills on long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. You certainly don’t want to be the first patient your crew medical officer attempts an IV start on if the last time they practiced this skill was 6 months prior on Earth!

As you may have gleaned, such lightweight portable technologies aren’t restricted to astronauts on their way to Mars! Earth has no shortage of remote, resource-limited locales in need of technologies that can facilitate access to medical education and care, from rural villages in India to remote Arctic populations in Canada, and there are a lot of opportunities to catalyze both access and healthcare delivery to such environments.

In sum, medical advances are beneficial and needed on Earth as much as they are in space, and access as well as delivery of healthcare to both of those environments is feasible.

Medical challenges in space, medical challenges on Earth: same, same...but different.

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KLAGENFURT A SMART CITY STRATEGY

Klagenfurt has been pursuing a smart city strategy for years and will now position itself as a “Smart City City of Encounters”.

There is a massive need for action and investment, especially in the area of transport, such as the conversion of public transport.

Upon invitation, the city joined the UN’s SDG Leadership Platform which will align its Smart City strategy with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This platform is made up of 25 cities plus five indigenous communities worldwide and gives Klagenfurt access to international funding from the UNGSII Foundation.

Ambitious goals and recommendations were set, yet Klagenfurt achieved a number of goals ahead of schedule. For example, greenhouse gases were successfully reduced by 20% by 2020. Therefore, the goals of the city are being reformulated - it wants to reduce greenhouse gases by 70% by 2030 and be climate neutral by 2040.

A separate Smart City strategy has now been developed that has an impact on practically all areas of life in the city. It will be continuously adapted to incorporate the experiences and current developments to ensure sustainable, socially and environmentally compatible development for current and future citizens.

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The strategy has 212 proposed measures to achieve the climate protection goals and to make the city an emission-neutral, energyefficient and resource-saving living space with a high quality of life. It covers nine fields of action: • • • • • • • • •

Mobility Energy Infrastructure Economy Nature and habitat Urban development Governance Digitalization Generations

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CITY INVESTMENT PLATFORM.

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WOMEN LEADERS FOR PLANETARY HEALTH AN INTERVIEW WITH NICOLE DE PAULA

DR. NICOLE DE PAULA Founder & Executive Director of the Women Leaders for Planetary Health VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO

Given the complex nature of the pandemic, the movement towards a greener, more sustainable recovery needs a multi-faceted approach. Dr. Nicole de Paula started the Women Leaders for Planetary Health (WLPH) with these important goals at the forefront, “bridging the gaps between health and environmental sectors through gender-just solutions”.

Having launched at the UN Climate Summit in December 2019, WLPH aims to “develop women’s leadership in the evolving field of Planetary Health, improve women’s health, and safeguard a clean environment to leave no one behind”.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO LAUNCH THE WOMEN LEADERS FOR PLANETARY HEALTH? Have you ever seen a girl or a woman hesitate to take center stage or to speak their mind, even if they have all the knowledge and legitimacy to do so? Women Leaders for Planetary Health (WLPH) is a network, knowledge, and advocacy hub that operates at the intersection between human and ecosystem health, focusing on gender equity. I launched this initiative at the UN Climate Summit (COP 25) in Madrid, and I was inspired by the support and interest of so many people.

Our mission today is to bridge the gaps between environmental and human health through gender-just solutions, ultimately influencing social and behavioural change for planetary health.

By reducing the gap that remains for women in leadership roles, I am convinced that we can empower their voices to be able to influence just planetary health solutions, focusing on the Global South. We are unique because we are the first organization to concurrently focus on planetary health and gender equality, emphasizing the importance of acting on interlinked themes that remain tackled in a fragmented way: environmental and human health.

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WHAT ISSUES ARE YOU TRYING TO SOLVE? Women in developing countries are more vulnerable to inequalities related to patriarchal societal and cultural settings, socio-economic struggles, and negligent leadership when it comes to sustainable development. This struggle usually comes from their exclusion from decision making at all levels, perpetuating a dependency cycle.

As part of the Decade of Action to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), WLPH addresses two systemic societal problems directly related to the SDGs: i) underrepresentation of women in leadership on issues of planetary health ii) and the dominance of businesses that disregard externalities causing dangerous environmental degradation at the expense of most vulnerable groups. Both problems undermine key development and human health progress achieved in previous decades with a disproportionate impact on women. The WLPH digital community and capacity development hub breaks down borders and addresses global challenges targeting those who need it the most: women from the Global South. At the WPLH, we propose approaches to address inequality, discrimination and dangerous environmental degradation. We do this by offering capacity building opportunities that fit our digital era, improving advocacy and bridging the gaps between science and policy makers. As an empowering network with specific planetary health scientific knowledge, these actions enable us to harness the untapped potential of smart and creative women that would benefit hugely from being a part of a collective that is respectful, shares knowledge and encourages women to lead with a passion.

WHAT KIND OF POSITIVE ACTION DOES THE WLPH BRING TO THE FUTURE? Planetary Health is a fast-paced scientific field and a social movement. WLPH is part of leading this growing movement, which inherently defends human rights and gender equity. Our solutions tackle deep existential threats to humanity in the context of human health in the Anthropocene, the era in which humans have become more powerful than geological forces altering our natural ecosystems. We exist to ensure that policies for the future take into account the whole of humanity and do not leave half of the world’s population behind. We envision a world where human systems are structured to operate in concert with the Earth system, so that the health of the planet and the health of people can flourish in harmony. We empower female change agents to lead a world where cultural norms around gender have changed and where we can witness social and environmental justice for all. We exist to promote a healthier, more equitable and more peaceful world.

FIND OUT MORE

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ART IMPACT FOR HEALTH & SDGS Within the health sector, science and art are complementary forces. Together, they can create a dialogue between people, allowing for mutual understanding, empathy, and connection. After all, health professionals and artists are not so different – they are linked by a desire to understand the world and life itself. Through artistic exploration, we can work to build resilience in health for individuals, communities, and global systems.

ISABELLE WACHSMUTH VIEW CONTRIBUTOR’S BIO

The mission of the Art Impact for Health and SDGs initiative is to grow art and culture within the medical environment as an innovative strategy to build resilient individuals, communities, and health systems, creating a global creative and organic community movement that advances the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Health for All. Together, this community will utilize art as a tool to engender change, engaging a community of stakeholders to achieve the SDGs and Health for All through global leadership and the enduring principles of solidarity, caring, and equity within health. “As a sciencebased organization, WHO puts a lot of emphasis on evidence and data. At the same time, we must acknowledge that art has the power to inspire and communicate in ways that guidelines, graphs and charts don’t. To achieve our goals, we must use every tool at our disposal to change behaviors and drive impact.”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization Art Impact for Health and SDGs with sustainable and long-term partnerships explores how art and all relevant impactful art initiatives/programmes at worldwide level contribute to build resilience in health at the individual, community, national, and global levels. Resilience is, at its core, a measure of how we deal with adversity. It is the ability of an individual to overcome the challenges of a cleft lip or palate.

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The ability of a community to respond to a pandemic and support its most vulnerable. The ability of a health system to combat a new infectious disease effectively and safely. To build resiliency is to improve our ability to respond to and recover from a crisis. The WHO and Smile Train both work to build resilience in healthcare within different areas (and different levels) of health – comprehensive cleft care, the Sustainable Development Goals, and Health For All each depend on the resiliency of individuals, communities, and systems.

Of course, to develop resiliency, it is crucial to first understand what drives resiliency and how it can be developed. Berke and Ross note that, while strengths and characteristics of resiliency vary from community to community, common characteristics include: people–place connections; values and beliefs; knowledge, skills and learning; social networks; engaged governance (involving collaborative institutions); a diverse and innovative economy; community infrastructure; leadership; and a positive outlook, including readiness to accept change.

The Art Impact for Health Initiative, then, is a way to not only explore and identify these aspects of resilience within a global community, but also to simultaneously develop them through the artistic process itself. United by artistic exploration, artists, policy makers, medical professionals, patients, and families would come together to explore values and beliefs, gain skills and learning, build long-term social networks, engage and raise awareness at the government level, build a community of stakeholders, and focus on a positive outlook and opening themselves to change through self-reflection. Arts and cultural expressions and practices are a vehicle through which individuals and communities form culture. Cultural practices help build the social connections that make communities vibrant and resilient and can support catharsis and healing.

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TH E GO O D S U MMI T + WO R L D H EA LTH I NNOVATION SUM M IT

“WHAT DID WE LEARN?” LEARNING FROM, AND MOVING FORWARD FROM COVID-19/20/21 TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN 27TH OCTOBER 2PM – 6PM This important event continues the goal of The Good Summit to celebrate Common Good in the world and create more of it. In partnering with The World Health Innovation Summit we maximize learning and knowledge distribution of vital lifesaving, community transforming practices, through the global propagation of the UNSDGs.

This year’s event will be livestreamed from the 1798 chapel in Trinity College and will be available for attendees to join online for free.

THERE WILL BE FOUR SEMINARS BROADCASTED LIVE: 2.05pm – 2.50pm – COVID-19: What has the science taught us?

3.05pm – 3.50pm – SDG3 Good Health + Well-Being 4.05pm – 4.50pm – SDG Cities 5.05pm – 5.50pm – Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Global Health

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JOOLS HAMILTON

PROF CLÍONA NÍ CHEALLAIGH

FIND MORE INFORMATION

PROF LUKE O’NEILL

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Together, we can achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

Through this platform, we provide inspiring content that is dedicated to the innovative advances across the globe, designed to inspire and share knowledge with everyone.

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