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Events

UNGA79

The 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) and the Summit of the Future are taking place in New York City throughout September 2024!

Pathfinder will be on the ground from September 22 to 26—meet up with our delegation in NYC or follow along on social media as we advocate for climate-resilient health systems, greater investment in the health workforce, and global commitment to safeguarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.   

If you’ll be in town for UNGA79 and the Summit of the Future, save the date for our in-person events… and stay tuned as we announce more. u

Scroll on for more details on our events and delegation, and please contact Ilayda Oranköy if you’d like to set up a meeting. Follow us on social media to stay up to date with #PathfinderatUNGA79.   


Date: Saturday, September 21| Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST

In line with the Pact of the Future, this side-event has a three-fold thematic focus, namely:

1) Meeting the needs of women, girls, young people, and diverse populations access to SRHR i.e. leaving no one behind;
2) Strengthening multi-lateral member state cooperation for SRHR and gender equality through landmark declarations e.g. International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action;
3) Accelerating bold multi-stakeholder action towards achieving the SDGs, specifically SDG3 and 5 (good health and wellbeing & gender equality) and addressing intersectional issues e.g. climate change.


Overlooked and Underfunded: The Crucial Role of Health Workers to meet the SDGs   

Date: Monday, September 23| Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST

Hosted by Seed Global Health at Goals House, this invitation only event will consider why health workers have been a historically underfunded area of global health. We will hear firsthand from those on the frontlines to better understand the critical role highly skilled health workers play in increasing access to high quality care and – crucially – saving lives.  

Speakers include Sierra Leone Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Austin Demby, Seed Global Health CEO Dr. Vanessa Kerry, and Seed Global Health Uganda Country Director Irene Atuhairwe. Crystal Lander, Pathfinder’s Executive Vice President, will moderate the panel.


Building Health Workforce Resilience: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Climate and Health Crises

Date: Tuesday, September 24| Time: 12:00– 2:30 PM EST

Join us to hear perspectives from health workers, NGOs, governments, donors and multilateral partners on how to build a resilient, multidisciplinary health workforce that is better prepared and more able to respond to the stressors to the health systems.  

More information: Join the Frontline Health Workers Coalition During #UNGA79

Hosted by: Frontline Health Workers Coalition, Pathfinder International, CARE USA, Chemonics,  IntraHealth International, Johnson & Johnson, Project HOPE, Living Goods, Seed Global Health and Smile Train.


Managing the convergence of crises, preparing current and future health leaders to meet the pressing needs of climate, conflict and disease 

Date: Thursday, September 26| Time: 12:00– 2:00 PM ET
Hosted by: Frontline Health Workers Coalition (FHWC), Pathfinder International, and partners.

Hosted by the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, Pathfinder International and key coalition partners, this invitation only event executive round table will gather approximately leaders from the NGO, foundation, and corporate sectors in support of the global health workforce, and in particular to cultivate leaders, notably women health professionals, to be better prepared to transition into leadership roles amidst multiple crises.   

As the Chair of the Coalition’s Steering Committee, Pathfinder’s Executive Vice President, Crystal Lander, will participate in the dialogue.


Crystal Lander

Crystal Lander leads the organization’s strategic engagement and high-level partnerships. As part of Pathfinder’s Global Leadership Council, Ms. Lander plays a critical role in shaping organization’s strategic and programmatic activities around the world. She drives the broader global health and development agenda through leadership positions, including as Chair of the Frontline Health Workers Coalition (FHWC), board member for the Coalition for Racial & Ethnic Equity in Development (CREED), and founding member of the Washington Global Health Group steering committee. 

Ilayda has been with Pathfinder since January 2019. Originally hired as a Communications Intern for the Evidence to Action (E2A) Project, Ilayda has since played a number of roles in external engagement and communications. In her current role, she supports the Director of Advocacy and Engagement by leading on conference and event coordination. Ilayda is Pathfinder’s primary point of contact for UNGA79—please reach out to her with any inquiries regarding Pathfinder’s delegation or events. 

Erick Gonzalez is an accomplished strategist and development expert with a passion for creating social impact and driving innovation. Before taking the role of Innovation Architect, Erick worked as Partnerships & Engagement Lead, actively exploring new opportunities to address urgent challenges for both people and the planet through strategic partnerships and collaborations. He works closely with the CEO, Presidents, and in-country leadership, representing Pathfinder externally, and plays a key role in developing and executing strategies that contribute to Pathfinder innovations.

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