By Annalise Burdett, VP of Projects and Client Experience

Brandy and I are back in Vancouver after an amazing week in New York for the UN General Assembly and Climate Week. It was a week of critical discussions about some of the most important issues facing our planet. Speakers and participants weren’t afraid to address the elephants in the room, including defunding, gender equality, and climate change. We also got the opportunity to watch some of our amazing clients and collaborators take centre stage.

Here are some of our key takeaways.

Defunding is on everyone’s mind, and they’re not afraid to talk about it.

The shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was one of the most persistent themes throughout the week. The loss of funding is devastating—a study published in The Lancet in July estimated that USAID programs have saved 90 million lives over the past two decades. Speakers weren’t afraid to address the topic head on, and while there was definitely a sense of grief and loss, there were also innovative discussions on how to adapt and find new ways to keep essential programs alive. Others saw opportunity in the disruption, recognizing how it exposed the weak spots in global health systems while creating space for new voices, partnerships, and funding commitments to emerge.

At the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Accountability Breakfast, former UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore urged the audience not to back down.

“Our silence … the fantasy that we can just wait it out … these are their enablers,” she said.

One phrase echoed across panels: constraint breeds creativity. Sir Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, reflected on the upheaval of the past year.

“In the last twelve months the world has gone through a profound disruption. This is the disruption that is here to challenge us. We have to define that new future.”

From Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health came a similar message of resilience:

“These challenges are a clear opportunity to look at what makes a real difference.”

At the Semafor Next 3 Billion event, Vanessa Kerry, CEO of our client Seed Global Health, urged us to remember that these are real decisions which are already affecting real people. 

“It’s important to realize that these aid cuts are not making anyone more prosperous. It’s going to cost US taxpayers more than $6 billion to close USAID. And at the same time, we know that half a million people are dying from these aid cuts. We’re sitting here talking about policies but really it’s about whether somebody lives or dies.”

We need women in leadership now more than ever

At the Foreign Policy “Her Power” forum, the message was clear: gender equality remains urgent and unfinished. As one speaker put it, “We need women’s voices now more than ever.”

The former Prime Minister of Finland, Mari Kiviniemi, spoke about her country’s early adoption of equal rights policies and how those decisions continue to shape leadership today. Women were granted universal and equal suffrage in 1906, making them the first in the world to have an unconditional and unrestricted right to vote for members of parliament, and women’s representation in the current parliament or chamber is over 45 per cent. Kiviniemi also highlighted the modern systems that make participation possible, including affordable daycare and strong parental leave policies.

“Supporting the involvement of women in the workforce means investing in public services like daycare and parental leave,” she said.

She also warned of shrinking budgets for gender equity initiatives and called for more visible role models in public life.

As Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Founder and CEO, International Civil Society Action Network, said:

“We need to listen to women. They are the first responders, the always responders, the last responders.”

More action needs to be taken in breast cancer screening

At the Health Without Borders event, Tisha Boatman shared insights on mammography programs in Egypt and the ongoing need for accessible breast cancer screening worldwide. Her talk resonated deeply. With several breast cancer survivors in my family, I know how much early detection matters.

It was a reminder that awareness alone is not enough. Policy, funding, and education all play a role. This is why knowledge translation campaigns like the one we developed with BC Cancer are so important. Helping people understand when, why, and how to get screened can save lives. Initiatives like Goodbye Pap, Hello Swab have shown the power of clear, compassionate communication to increase participation in cancer screening programs.

These kinds of public health campaigns help bridge the gap between research and real-world action, empowering people with the information and confidence they need to make informed decisions about their health.

Climate change is no hoax

Climate change is a global issue, and locally within our province we are seeing its profound impacts. As the spouse of a first responder and someone closely involved in wildfire response, I have seen firsthand the devastation that natural disasters bring to families and communities.

At the recent Devex event on climate-resilient health systems, it was both chilling and inspiring to hear from teams at Mercy Corps and the Red Cross. They emphasized the importance of not only supporting communities but also of working with responders on their own recovery. One message that struck me deeply was: “It’s important to think about this intersection, especially for mental health.”

Climate change affects us on every level: physical health, mental health, financial security, community well-being, and the health of ecosystems. There is no part of a family or community that remains untouched.

At the Next 3 Billion event, the former president of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, said, “We have proven that the risks of climate change are real. We need to act, and we need to act comprehensively.”

He called climate action a “moral duty,” and referenced the importance of reforestation efforts in places like Columbia and here in Canada. While it’s easy to feel powerless when large corporations and governments are making decisions which damage the environment, Márquez said that “we can all be drivers of change”, and encouraged people to think about the small actions we can all take to help slow down our energy consumption.

His words are a powerful reminder that climate action is a moral responsibility that affects us all, and every action, big or small, truly matters.

We need more family and primary care physicians

Another recurring concern at the Health Without Borders event was the shortage of family doctors and primary care physicians. Fewer than one percent of new medical graduates are entering family practice, and that shortfall is being felt globally. This is more important than ever as organizations globally are funding and focusing on primary care as a solution to global health challenges. 

Speakers called for renewed focus on relationship-based care and rebuilding trust between doctors and patients:

• “Trust in physicians is at an all-time low … How can we continue to work in a trusting manner?”
• “Primary care should be the foundational element in health care.”

This resonated with me on both a personal and professional level. Through the experiences of my family and friends, I’ve seen how difficult it can be to find a family doctor here in B.C. And through my work with our company’s co-founder and research director, Dr. Natalie Chan, who is a practising family physician, I’ve witnessed firsthand some of the cracks and challenges in our health care system.

Which is why I understand the immense value of the work we do with primary care physicians on projects like the BCCDC community antimicrobial resistance campaign and the BC Medical Quality Initiative (BCMQI). 

Listening to these talks reinforced that the shortage of primary care physicians we’re feeling in Canada is also being felt around the world. Credentialing and privileging were also a focus of discussion, tying directly to the work we’re doing with BCMQI to align systems so that qualified doctors can move more easily where they are needed most.

Closing thought

The week in New York reminded us that progress often begins with honesty and shared commitment. We came home inspired by the courage, creativity, and compassion shown by people around the world and by our clients who are finding ways to keep moving forward together on the world’s most pressing issues.