G-CODEs Talks
Global Center for Development and Strategy
G-CODEs Talks
[G-Talks] Global Health in Perspective and My Journey in International Organizations
- Admin
- 2025.03.20.
- 183
Event Details
Date: March 20, 2025
Venue: Yang Seung-Taek Auditorium, KAIST Main Campus
Speaker: Dr. Anders Nordström, Former Acting Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO)
Title: Global Health in Perspective and My Journey in International Organizations
Summary of Presentation and Discussion
Dr. Anders Nordström presented a comprehensive perspective on global health issues and the ways to strengthen collective responses. In his keynote lecture, he explored the historical evolution of health and disease, climate change, the role of policy measures, and the importance of international cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following the presentation, an engaging dialogue with KAIST students took place, marked by lively discussion and active participation that further enriched the seminar.
Speaker Biography
Dr. Anders Nordström currently serves as a member of the advisory boards for the Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE).
Dr. Nordström has held several key leadership positions at the World Health Organization (WHO), including:
- - Acting Director-General (2006 – 2007)
- - Assistant Director-General for General Management (2003 – 2006)
- - Assistant Director-General for Health Systems and Services (2007)
- - WHO Representative to Sierra Leone (2015 – 2017)
In Sweden, Dr. Anders Nordström has held several senior leadership positions, including:
- - Ambassador for Global Health
- - Director-General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida, 2007–2010)
He later served as Head of the Secretariat of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (2020–2021), leading global efforts to evaluate and strengthen pandemic response mechanisms.
As Acting Director-General of WHO, Dr. Nordström oversaw the legal establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (2002). He has since served on the boards of the Global Fund, GAVI, UNAIDS, and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), and has chaired numerous international task forces and policy processes.
Dr. Nordström currently serves on the following boards and advisory councils:
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- Alliance for Health Systems Research
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- SUN–Lancet PRIME Commission
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- International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Global Expert Advisory Group
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- Virchow Foundation for Global Health Council
