 Greetings to you all in the room and to the members of the media joining us from all over the world through our live stream. A very warm welcome to this exciting press briefing on health equity and the zero health gaps pledge. My name is Trevor Tuiwu. I'm the lead for media relations and public affairs at the World Economic Forum. And today I'm joined by an esteemed panel. Firstly, we have Michelle Williams, dean of faculty at Harvard Chan School of Public Health. We've got Binta Diop, the founder and chair of the board, Firm Afrique Solidarité and special envoy of the chairpersons of Africa Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security. Thirdly, we are joined by Joe Okuzoglu, global chief executive officer of Deloitte. We've got Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the African of the American Heart Association. And lastly, we have Christof Weber, president and chief executive officer of Takeda. Now, we all know that there is a significant disparity in health care access and health care outcomes across the world. And the Forum's global health equity network and its partners really envision a future without unfair differences in health and well-being outcomes between and within countries. In support of this vision, I am delighted to announce that 39 organizations have signed the pledge to support this vision of zero health gaps. Now, I would like to start with you, Michelle. Can you briefly tell us about the state of health equity from a public health perspective? Sure. Thank you, Trevor. And good morning, everyone, and I'm delighted and honored to be on this esteemed panel, a member of this panel. Let me start by defining health equity because it's important for us to be grounded in why this pledge is so important. Health equity means, for me, fair and just opportunities provided for everyone to thrive and meet their human potential. And we know historically that there have been systematic, pervasive systematic reasons that drive inequality in access to health care and access to the drivers for health and wellness that are way upstream, excuse me, of the medical health care system. So why now? Why think about health equity now? Because we've had a number of shocks to society that clearly highlight the impact inequalities in health have on all of us. We have seen, for example, in the COVID crisis, that the members of the most vulnerable communities across the world have higher risks and worse outcomes than others with resources and access to housing, food security, medical care, and so on. So for me, health equity is important and it is an issue for all of us. Explain some of the metrics that we use to evaluate health equity and how this drives why now. It's important for us to realize that metrics like life expectancy, we can see a 30-year gap in life expectancy across countries. You mentioned this, Trevor, and that life expectancy of 30-year gap can be seen between Japan and Lusoto and other African countries. We also see gaps in life expectancy across, within countries. So in the United States, for example, African-American versus white Americans have a five-year gap and the gap is even wider for Native Americans. That's a 10-year gap. These types of gaps within countries are seen in other countries such as the UK. Beyond the health and personal risks of health inequity, there are economic and societal impacts. We have seen in the European Union, for example, a 1.4% loss in GDP annually because of health inequity. On the African continent, there is a $2.4 trillion loss in GDP because of health inequities and put it in human life terms, 704 healthy person years of life lost on the continent because of health inequalities. So there are moral and economic imperatives that drive this. Finally, I will say health inequities result from societal, systemic, historical issues. We are all vulnerable as we have seen in the face of shocks like climate change and COVID-19. We believe our network that now is an important time where the crisis has sharpened our focus and we are realizing increasingly that health inequity results from societal factors and it will take all of society to engage. So having public, private and civil society involved in addressing this solution and making a commitment like we are asking for in the pledge is critically important. Thank you. Thanks, Michel. I want to turn it over to you, Binta. If you could just give us an overview around the health equity landscape in the policy and partnership space. Thank you so much and let me just say how delighted to be part of this high-level panel. But let me just say that today in Davos, this is going to be a historic moment because of this pledge is made by public, private, civil society, private sector and why it's important that we have public support because it's a primary responsibility of healthcare delivery in terms of engagement and policy and making the environment being friendly for others to come in is a government and I think they have to buy in to support this initiative driven by investors but also the private joined by civil society. So let me just say why it is so important for our government and the leaders of our government to join such an initiative. You know, we have experienced COVID but also we know that there will be other pandemic and we saw the impact on our population. We have also seen that there will be future pandemic and we need to be prepared for that. Let me also say that by joining this partnership, it's the right thing to be done. That's the right thing but it's a smart thing to do. It's smart thing because we see that it's going to save lives. It's going to impact on the communities. It's going to impact on the entire ecosystem as we said, you know, in our own country. So let me just point out few in terms of the continent where I come from, Africa, when it comes to why we need to be part of this pledge. I think number one is about a few examples. It's about numbers. It's about the people. Only 48% of people in Africa receive the healthcare services that they need. So there is a gap. What do we do with the 650 million people that want healthcare and which need to be, you know, serviced? The second issue is the quality of the healthcare service. I think in many African countries, you know, we see that they are very low in the performance of the universal healthcare. So we need to make sure that the quality is there and I think that this pledge is about delivering quality service. The number three for me is the disparity. The coverage with essential health services in Africa is, we know that it's inequitable. So we need to do address that issue. For example, let me just give one example. The demand for family planning satisfy among the rich is higher than, you know, for the poor. So we need to see that disparity and see how do we address that. And the last one for me, and just to have a few, is the gender gap. And for this, for me, is the women and the girls. I can say between 2015 and 2019, less than half of African women have the demand for family planning satisfy by the method, the modern methods. Just a few examples, that's it. Why we need to join this platform, public, private platform, because this is time for revolution. You know, and what I see in the pledge that the time that's together we are, the revenue will be raised together, will be pulled together, allocated and used efficiently and equitably. So the reform must go beyond spending only. And I think that the government have to invest. And this is a bill, this is a demand, but we need also to make sure that we measure the impact together. And the web is here also to offer the platform to collect the data, to measure, and in the platform to share the best practices to be scared up. And I'm sure that we will all work together to make this happen in the few years to come. It's for humanity, it's for the good. And I think this is what all of us are disabled, but beyond those who are listening to be part of this pledge. Thank you. Thank you so much, Pinta, for those insights from a government perspective, really, really compelling argument. Joe, I'm going to hand it over to you just to give us some thoughts on a business case. What do you think corporates need to be thinking about when making corporate investments into health equity? Well, first, thank you for the kind invitation to be a part of this discussion. And all of us at Deloitte are very appreciative of the opportunity to co-lead the Global Health Equity Network. These issues around health inequities are longstanding. They were thrust front and center into public view during the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. And if anybody thought that sort of as the pandemic subsided that these issues would go away, that's been laid to rest. We now see a number of new stressors that are exacerbating inequities, war, supply chain issues leading to increased food insecurity, climate events. And so the imperative is significant. And this is fundamentally an issue that the business community has to be engaged in. There is the broad macroeconomic cost that, as you shared, can be measured in the trillions of dollars to the global economy. There is an issue relative to companies' own workforces where we know that healthier individuals are more engaged and more productive. And then there's the societal imperative that we're sitting here facing questions about whether the free enterprise economic system can deliver for society broadly. This is a core element of stakeholder capitalism, the business community demonstrating that we're part of the solution and that we're taking action relative to the commitment to make good on the United Nations' sustainable development goals. Now, the words are the easy part. So then the question is, well, what specifically can businesses do? We are pleased with the momentum and the number of organizations that have already signed up. It's not enough. And so we're going to be focused on expanding that ecosystem that we're creating. We need to develop measurement mechanisms so that we can actually quantify individual companies' health equity footprints. And with measurement, that allows for setting goals. It allows for accountability. And we're going to do this as a collective. No one has all the answers, but we're putting together the ecosystem to really be able to drive change at scale. And we are encouraged by the opportunity that's sitting here in front of us. Thank you so much, Joe. Now coming to Nancy, we all know that you're a very strong and big advocate for health equity. And I think this gives me an opportunity for me to allow you to just tell us about what this Zero Health Gaps pledge is all about. What does it mean for the organizations that have joined, but also those that would be called upon to join? Thank you so much. And it is an honor to join this prestigious panel to talk about the Zero Health Gaps pledge. We're very honored at the World Economic Forum to be launching this pledge today. And we are calling on all of the members of the forum to join us in taking this bold action. The pledge itself is a series of 10 commitments designed to counter all of these issues that my colleagues have talked about today. As Joe just mentioned, corporate action is necessary to galvanize the global community to address the inequities that exist in the world itself. At the American Heart Association, we are proud also to co-lead the Global Health Equity Network and also to be one of the inaugural signers of this pledge. The 10 commitments in the pledge itself really are a call to action for our companies. We know, as Joe just stated, that there is a clear business case for why companies should be at the forefront of leading this health equity charge. We know that health inequity, it leads not only to financial loss for individuals but for organizations and for communities at large as well. And to reach health equity by 2050, which is our goal, public, private, and philanthropic institutions must join together to take a leadership role. Some of the things that we are asking companies and those who signed the pledge to consider are to, first of all, take a deep look with inside of our own organizations. Some actions like access to employee health insurance and living wages should be prioritized across all industries. However, businesses can really take the lead in showcasing what that looks like. We know that in order to help those who have signed the pledge or who are considering signing the pledge, that tools and resources, including guides to measurement will be really important. And that's why we're very proud today to not only be launching this pledge and these 10 commitments, but also a toolkit for those who signed to be able to deeply integrate this program within their organizations. As it was said earlier by my colleagues, signing a pledge is not the end, it's the beginning. Signing the pledge means that those will stand together and stand tall to help lead this global movement, to help our organizations make sure that every individual has a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being, which is our vision and which is a human right that has been designated by the United Nations. Thank you very much. Thanks so much, Nancy. Christoph, very excited that you have joined the pledge. And I think this gives us the opportunity to get your thoughts around how, you know, having committed to this has worked for your business. How are you integrating it into your organizational strategy and the implementation thereof? Yeah, thank you. I'm really delighted that we are all here together today because we know that we have been knowing that health equity has been an issue. Takeda has been created 240 years ago. We are present in 100 countries. We are in healthcare. So we see every day the health disparity, both within countries, Michelle mentioned it, as well as globally. And so this is something very dear to us. Our mission is to deliver, develop, deliver life-transforming medicine and vaccines to the world. And so it's very impactful when we launch a new concert treatment or new vaccines. And so for us, it's morally necessary to think about equity. But it's also a good business. And I think I should be clear on that because companies don't get the credibility if people see that there is an autonomy between the intent and the business. But I would like to stress out that for companies to really aim for health equity is actually morally right, but it's also a good business. And for our employees, I can tell you that they are expecting from a company like us to really thrive for health equity. So what have we done? When we develop a new product, a new treatment, a new vaccines, we think globally about whether the way we develop it is right to get this product approved in many countries. So it's not a development for one country only. It's really a global thinking. We have been looking at our clinical trial diversity, for example. And we know it's not where we should be in terms of recruitment of patients. And so this is something we are now very actively looking at how we can increase our clinical trial diversity because it starts there. If you don't have the data for a certain group of patients, then they won't trust potentially the vaccines or the treatment, so it's very important to have enough clinical trial diversity. We'll never match the diversity of the world, but we can improve a lot our clinical trial diversity. And then the other strategy and things we are doing is about access. So starting with price. So in the company, we have a very clear tier pricing mechanism where we have four, we group countries in four groups, and we have very significant price differences between the group because at country level, we need to recognize that the wealth of the countries and investment in healthcare is very different. So we try to really match where the country is when we price our medicine and vaccines. And I think this pledge would also hopefully help countries to invest more in healthcare because one of the issues that we are seeing is that healthcare is under a huge financial pressure in many countries. And this pledge I think will help countries to look at their investment in healthcare. And then beside the tier pricing and the access, within the country, we have some patient assistance programs to help people within the country to have better access to our medicines and vaccines. So it's a country approach in terms of access as well as within the country because there are significant disparities within the countries. So I'm very delighted that we are here launching this pledge and I'm sure many companies, many organizations will join in the future. Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Christophe, for sharing that proof point about how organizations can actually really take commitment on this pledge. It is at this point where I would turn it over to the floor to ask questions. Please do raise your hand and the mic will be brought to you. Are there any questions? None at all? May I just add a point because all of our panelists and members of the panel really emphasize something that I don't want to be lost and that is in addition to the pledge, I want everyone to understand that the Global Health Equity Network more than developing this pledge are also developing a toolkit because one of the reasons for an action, I mean to be honest, is that the solving health inequities is going to require all of society to be involved and it's going to require a range of different actions and activities to really meet the commitment that we are asking the pledge signers to commit to. So the network is also developing toolkits to help implement, to help promote action when there is a will. And as we've spoken together before, we're also very eager to go beyond the rhetoric and to have measures so that we can test and learn, measure, and scale. And so for me, this is really exciting because we know making the commitment needs to be followed by having quality performance that yields impact. And I want people to really understand that this network beyond the pledge is committed to the long-term effort that it will take and the collective and collaborative effort it will take. Thanks so much, Michelle. Now, I just think that adding on that is, you know, when we look at the whole landscape of recovering and when we look at not just the healthcare, the education, you name them, the whole SDGs, if we don't address healthcare, I think that we will not address the other SDGs gold. So it should be one of the driving element of recovery. And I think that's why it's very important for government to come in and buy in. So now it's up to those who have signed, the 39 who have signed, you know, to look into those actions and the solution that we are putting in place to make sure that we have the interactive dialogue because this about discussion is about bringing everybody together and making sure that we deliver together. So I think that it will help to identify the concrete as you mentioned at country level, at local level, and who will be the actors that will be involved and make that those solutions are live rock and we can share those in the platform, we can share those best practices. I'm sure that the public, even at local level, you know, we'll engage with such initiatives because it will fill the gaps of health, but also the gap, the other issues, foods insecurity, the issue of education for all, the gender gap as we say, because it's going to address the health, not just of individual only, but the family, the community, the whole ecosystem will be addressed. So I just wanted to add that as well. Thanks, Binta. Joe, just one thing you would like corporates to take away as we work towards achieving health equity for all across the world. Those of us in the corporate world know that when an organization commits and sets their mind to something, generally they get results, but it comes through measurement. There's an old saying that what you measure gets managed and so we have to find ways to actually turn these broad, very laudable words into measures of health equity footprint. We're making a lot of progress on that and that in turn allows for specific goals and making people accountable, building this into strategy, tracking it over time to demonstrate results. Thank you so much. Nancy, it's time to mobilize organizations to join this pledge and the health equity network. What are your last thoughts for them? I would just say we have a vision to have at least 100 organizations join us and as my colleagues have said, the pledge is the beginning. We look forward to learning from each other, those of us who signed the pledge through a learning lab that the World Economic Forum is creating so that tools, resources, and actual experiences can be shared. The concept of measurement that has been mentioned so many times today is critically important and I would just like to mention the importance of big measures and small measures. As Joe just said, what gets measured gets done. So if each of the companies and organizations and governments who signed this pledge would understand through the toolkit the very specific actions that need to be taken and set measurements within an organization around each action as we continue to work together to define the ultimate measure of the success not only of the global health equity network but of the movement for health equity for all. I think it will be a wonderful beginning for our work together. Thank you so much. Christophe, one thing you think your peers could learn from you? Oh, I'm not too humble for that. I would just say that this is possible to be achieved and that's why it's the right time to do it because there is enough first societal awareness and there is enough scientific innovation and technological innovation to make it happen. I wouldn't have said that even 15 years ago. So I think this is really the right moment to do it and it's possible to be done. Thank you so much. We really hope that organizations can be inspired by the 39 that have joined the pledge and that they will also make a commitment in really driving this pledge in achieving health equity. Thank you so much, members of the media joining us in the room and to those who are online. Thank you.