WHO and Religions for Peace global conference on strengthening national responses to health emergencies

Hosted by the World Health Organization in collaboration with Religions for Peace and the EPI-WIN Faith Communities of Practice this global conference looks at ‘Strengthening national responses to health emergencies: WHO, Religious Leaders, Faith-based Organizations, Faith Communities and National Governments’.   

Throughout history religious leaders, faith-based organizations, and faith communities at all levels, have played a key role in health emergency preparedness and response, and in many places, in ongoing health service delivery.   

The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the important role faith partners, as trusted community leaders, play in mobilizing community led action to protect, care for and advocate for marginalized or vulnerable people; sharing critical, accurate and tailored health information; and providing spiritual care, guidance, and support during times of crisis and uncertainty.   

Together WHO and faith partners work with and in support of national governments to achieve joint health goals, mitigate the negative effects of health emergencies and ultimately help to bring them to an end.  

This conference delves into good practice examples, which cover diverse themes, regions, and faiths, and represent a valuable resource for the current and future health emergencies.   

The sessions of the conference will feature innovative responses in the areas of (i) Spiritual care during times of crisis, (ii) Country collaboration between WHO, faith partners and national governments, (iii) Trust and health histories, and (iv) Communication and advocacy for vaccine equity, access, and uptake.  

The global conference will: 

• convene representatives of national governments, faith partners, WHO offices and other stakeholders   
• facilitate the exchange of experiences and lessons learned  
• identify and collate good practice examples of collaboration between these actors during the COVID-19 pandemic to inform response to future public health emergencies  
• further expand the multidisciplinary network of faith partners

SAVE THE DATE!

Translation available in French, Spanish and Arabic.

Register below or follow sessions live-streamed on WHO EPI-WIN YouTube channel.

20 October 10:00 – 12:30 CEST

Chaplaincy: Critical and changing roles in COVID-19

• Rehanah Sadiq, Muslim Chaplain, Women’s Hospital Birmingham UK National Health Service, UK 
• Wendy Cadge, Barbara Mandel Professor of Humanistic Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology, Brandeis University, USA 
• Austyn Snowden, Professor in Mental Health, Edinburgh Napier University, UK; Lead Researcher ERICH, Belgium
• Father John Mosoti, Camillian Chaplain, Servants of the Sick, Kenya 
• Fabian Winiger, Postdoc and Project Lead at the Professorship for Spiritual Care, Zurich University, Switzerland 

Palliative care during COVID-19 

• Emmanuel Luyirika, Executive Director, African Palliative Care Association (APCA), Uganda 
• Dr M R Rajagopal, Chairman, Pallium India, India 
• Hibah Osman, Founder, Balsam, Lebanese Center for Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, USA 
• Father John Toai, MI, Director and Founder, Mai Tam House of Hope, Vietnam 
• Rick Bauer, Roman Catholic Missioner, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, USA 
• Marie-Charlotte Bouesseau, Team Lead, Palliative Care, WHO HQ, Switzerland 

21 October 14:00 – 16:30 CEST

Innovations in delivering spiritual and mental health care

• Dr Cheryl Giles, Francis Greenwood Peabody Senior Lecturer on Pastoral Care and Counseling, Harvard Divinity School, USA
• Swami Tyagananda, Hindu monk of the Ramakrishna Order, and Hindu Chaplain at Harvard University, USA 
• Dr Mohammed Abo-Hilal, Founder, Syria Bright Future (SBF) Organization, Syria 
• Dr Renz C. Argao, President & CEO, Argao Health Inc.; Moderator, Asia & the Pacific Interfaith Youth Network; Coordinator, Religions for Peace International Youth Committee, Philippines
• Hailey Fudu, Secretary, Religions for Peace South Africa, South Africa 

Closing places of worship: Social care consequences and responses

• Raymond Perrier, Director, Denis Hurley Centre, South Africa 
• Dr Mukunda Madhava Das, Vice President, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), India 
• Welinton Peirera, Advocacy and Institutional Relations Director, World Vision Brazil, Brazil 
• Dr Vinu Aram, Pediatrician; President of Shanti Ashram; Co-Moderator, Religions for Peace, India
• Savraj Singh Dhillon, Director, Guru Maneyo Granth Gurdwara, UK
• Chris Kazadi Lupemba, Chairperson, Interfaith Youth Network of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Honorary President, Religions for Peace Bahá’í, DRC 
• Sally Smith, Senior Advisor, WHO EPI-WIN Team, Switzerland 

3 November 10:00 – 11:30 CET

WHO Strategy for Engaging Religious Leaders, Faith-Based Organizations and Faith Communities in Health Emergencies 

Kenya case study 

• Dr Salim Hussein, Head of Primary Health Care, Directorate of Medical Services & Preventive and Promotive Health, Kenya Ministry of Health 
• Professor Mohamed Karama, Chairman of the National Muslim COVID-19 Response Committee 
• Bishop Dr. John Warari, Executive Board Member Inter-Religious Council of Kenya; INERELA, Kenya 
• Linus Nthigai, Programme Manager, Health & Social Well-Being, Inter-Religious Council of Kenya 
• Dr Jemimah Mwakisha, Lead, Risk Communications & Community Engagement, WHO Kenya 
• Dr Nollascus Ganda, Lead, COVID-19 Emergency Response Team, WHO Kenya

4 November 13:30 – 14:30 CET

Zimbabwe case study 

• Mr Nkosi Mpala, Infections and Hazard Management Officer, WHO Zimbabwe 
• Mr Titus Moetsabi, Communications for Development Specialist, UNICEF Zimbabwe 
• Ms Tendayi Gudo, Director Apostolic Women Empowerment Trust (AWET)  
• Mr Paul Chinakidzwa,Deputy Director Health Promotion, Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Zimbabwe 
• Rev Dr Kenneth Mtata, General Secretary of Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) and Executive Secretary Zimbabwe Heads of Church Denominations (ZHOCD) 
• Mr Onias Ndoro, Director, African Traditional Religions, Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) 
• Vivian Mugarisi, Communication Officer, WHO Zimbabwe 
• Ms Rumbidzai Chimukangara, Health Promotion Manager, Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Zimbabwe
  

10 November 9:00 – 11:30 CET

• Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO Representative to the Republic of the Philippines, WHO Philippines 
• Father Dan Vicente Cancino Jr, MI, Executive Secretary-Director, Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Health Care, Philippines 
• Father Antonio E. Labiao, Jr., Executive Secretary, Caritas Philippines, Philippines 
• Ms  Ma. Arlene S. Arbas, Chief, Media & External Relations Division, Department of Health – Health Promotion Bureau, Philippines 
• Pastor Choy Magdaong, Manager for Faith & Development, World Vision, Philippines 
• Mr Ronilo Oyanib, Program Manager, Philippine Children’s Ministries Network (PCMN), Philippines 
• Dr Beverly Lorraine Ho, Concurrent Director IV, Health Promotion Bureau and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, Department of Health, Philippines 
• Kira Fortune, Coordinator, Social Determinants of Health & Violence and Injury Prevention, WHO Western Pacific Region 
• Ava Batay-an, Consultant for Community Engagement, COVID-19 Response, WHO Philippines

18 November 10:30 – 11:30 CET

Nigeria case study

• Bishop Dr Sunday N Onuoha, Executive Director of the Nigerian Interfaith Action Association; Bishop within the United Methodist Church of Nigeria 
• Sheikh Haliru Maraya, Northern Coordinator Global Peace Foundation, Nigeria 
• Dr Fatima Fanna Mairami, Programme Manager of the Nigerian Interfaith Action Association, Nigeria 
• Barr Sarafina Nwokenta, Chief Operating Officer for Vision Africa, Nigeria 
• Dr Boateng Kofi, Nigeria WCO Cluster Lead for Polio Eradication Programme [Representing Nigeria WHO Country Representative Dr. Kazadi Mulombo Walter] 
• Ms Eunice Damisa, Director Advocacy & Communication, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nigeria 
• Ms Charity Warigon, Communication Lead, WHO Nigeria 
• Jason Praise Solomon, National Data Assistant, Demand generation and immunization, WHO Nigeria
  

25 November 13:00-14:00 CET

The role & impact of faith actors in global and national advocacy for vaccine equity and access  

• Dan Irvine, Senior Director, Health and Nutrition, World Vision International 
• Eli Zaidman, International Relations Officer and NextGen Coordinator at the World Jewish Congress, Switzerland 
  
• Dr. Uzma Syed, Infectious Disease specialist; Member of Muslim American Health Professionals; Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center 
• Rev Rachel Carnegie, Executive Director Anglican Alliance, UK 
• Honourable Ela Gandhi, Trustee, Gandhi Development Trust and Co-President of Religions for Peace, South Africa 
• Katherine Marshall, Senior fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; Vice President of the G20 Interfaith Association 
• Kehkashan Bee Khan, Head, Civil Society Advocacy, Division of Global Communication and Advocacy, UNICEF
  

2 December 13:00-14:00 CET

Building trust: Faith leaders' engagement in vaccine confidence

• Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik, Spiritual leader of the Congregation Kol Shearith Israel in Panama since 2002; Executive Director of the Panamanian Jewish Congress; member of the Interfaith Committee of Panama 
• Priestess Beatriz Schulthess, President, Indigenous Peoples Ancestral Spiritual Council; Honorary President, Religions for Peace, Indigenous, Costa Rica 
• Judge Mohammad Abou Zeid, Head of the Family Court of Sidon; Imam and preacher at Aisha Mosque in Sidon, Lebanon; independent consultant for World Vision International, wrote the Islamic adaptation of WVI Channels of Hope COVID-19 Vaccine module 
• Dr Manoj Kurian, Coordinator at Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, World Council of Churches 
• Sister Agatha O. Chikelue, Executive Director, Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace. Chair, Religions for Peace-International Women's Coordinating Committee
  

About the EPI-WIN Faith Communities of Practice 

The WHO EPI-WIN team within the “Infodemic Management Pillar” of the WHO COVID-19 response launched three ‘Communities of Practice’ (COPs) in late 2020 to help shape future work in three areas relevant to faith partners (which includes religious leaders, faith-based communities, and faith-based organizations). The three COPs include: communications, research and learning, and the development of a strategy for engagement between WHO and faith partners. The four themes and sub-themes of the conference have been identified over 6 months of consultation and discussion among the COPs and subsequent working groups.