There’s such a thing as “too much information”, especially for
As traditional humanitarian mechanisms falter, the responsibility to protect health, especially for women and marginalized communities, should not rest solely with INGOs. The 2025 Health and Humanity Summit asks: What happens when states fail to govern health responsibly, and what are our collective obligations when global solidarity is under serious strain and is being contested, co-opted and redefined?
Set against a backdrop of shrinking aid, weakened health systems, and mounting attacks on medical care, the Summit confronts the growing failure of states and the international community to uphold basic obligations to collective humanity. Hospitals and health workers, once protected even in conflict, are now routinely targeted, and the systems meant to safeguard them are faltering. In this context, no single actor holds all the answers.
There such a thing as too much infornation especially for you
There such a thing as too much infornation especially for you
There such a thing as too much infornation especially for you
Civil Society: Organizations and individuals whose work addresses social issues and promote public welfare, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations, grassroots movements, advocacy groups, and activists.
Academia: Professors, researchers and students in the field of international relations, human rights, area studies, public health, public policy, communications, conflict and other related fields.
Thought Leaders: Subject matter experts and industry influencers in the fields of humanitarian aid, public health, technology and social justice whose work adds value to discourse, shapes debates, drives conversations, and provides insights.
Media: Freelance and staff journalists, including photojournalists, reporters, editors, publishers etc, who report and write about health and humanitarian issues.
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There’s such a thing as “too much information”, especially for
There’s such a thing as “too much information”, especially for
There’s such a thing as “too much information”, especially for
There such a thing as too much infornation especially for you
There such a thing as too much infornation especially for you
There such a thing as too much infornation especially for you
Civil Society: Organizations and individuals whose work addresses social issues and promote public welfare, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations, grassroots movements, advocacy groups and activists.
Academia: Professors, researchers and students in the field of international relations, human rights, area studies, public health, public policy, communications, conflict and other related fields.
Thought Leaders: Subject matter experts and industry influencers in the fields of humanitarian aid, public health, technology and social justice whose work adds value to discourse, shapes debates, drives conversations, and provides insights.
Media: Freelance and staff journalists – including photojournalists, reporters, editors, publishers, etc – who report and write about health and humanitarian issues
Feminist Human Rights Activist
Expertise in: Feminist Human Rights Activism
Roshmi Goswami is a feminist, political and social justice activist known for her work on women’s human rights especially on women in armed conflict and in situations of contestations including occupations. She has been involved in collaborative research on issues ranging from sexual violence and gender justice to peace building and socio-economic rights in political transitions.
She is associated with several human rights and feminists organizations and presently the Co-Chair and bureau member of South Asians For Human Rights (Colombo) providing leadership to their initiatives, Governing Board member of Centre for Economic and Social Rights, New York, Core group member of SANGAT and of Foundation For Social Transformation - enabling ne india. She is presently involved in working with members of civil society in the ongoing contestations in Manipur and on advocacy against the brutal Gaza Genocide.
Senior Fellow, Global Health Justice Partnership, Yale University
Expertise in: Public Health, Global Health & Access to Health
Dr Unni Karunakara is a Senior Fellow at Yale University’s Global Health Justice Partnership. He served as Director a.i. of the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (2024-2025), and was International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (2010-2013).
Executive Director, MSF South Asia
Expertise in: Humanitarian crisis, medical anthropology, hospital management, and human resources.
Farhat Mantoo is the Executive Director of MSF in South Asia and manages offices in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. She specializes in medical anthropology, communication, people and business leadership. She is alumni of The European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) Berlin and Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad. She serves on various international committees, both in MSF and externally, and has co-authored several publications. Her primary research interests are the application and relevance of low-cost quality medical innovations and implementation in humanitarian medicine. Farhat has worked for over 23 years in humanitarian and development sector in management and leadership roles mainly in Asia, Europe, and East Africa. In addition to her ED role, she is also part of core global leadership team looking at MSF operations world-wide.
Professor of Human Rights Law, QMUL
Expertise in: International Law
Neve Gordon joined the School of Law at Queen Mary University of London, after teaching for seventeen years at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. His research focuses on international humanitarian law, human rights, the ethics of violence, with particular focus on Israel-Palestine and attacks on healthcare.
Gordon is the author of Israel’s Occupation (University of California Press 2008) and co-author of The Human Right to Dominate (Oxford University Press, 2015), Human Shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire (University of California Press, 2020). He is a Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences and writes regularly for the popular press.
Director Asia, Center for Reproductive Rights
Expertise in: Reproductive Rights
Prabina Bajracharya is the Regional Director for Asia at the Center for Reproductive Rights. In this role she leads the Center’s work in the Asia Region.
Prabina Bajracharya is a human rights lawyer with extensive experience in human rights monitoring, analysis, advocacy, capacity building, and strategic partnerships. Her area of expertise includes rule of law, gender-based violence, access to justice, transitional justice, and reproductive rights. She has worked with the UN Human Rights Office in Nepal and Thailand, and with the UN Refugee Office and International Center for Transitional Justice in Nepal, among others.
Prabina holds a master's degree in international law from Erasmus University, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and a bachelor's degree in law from Tribhuban University Nepal. Prabina is also a qualified attorney, registered with the Nepal Bar Council.
Vice President, Global Fund for Women
Expertise in: Harnessing Media for Empowerment of Marginalised Communities
Pradeepa Jeeva is an accomplished media executive with a strong commitment to creating impactful content and driving social change. With extensive experience at Machinima (Warner Bros) and the YOMYOMF network (YouTube), Pradeepa has received notable recognition, including features in Variety's 40 under 40 and NBC's 26 Asian Americans to watch. She also launched MOGO Studios, one of Sri Lanka's pioneering animation studios.
Pradeepa's leadership has been instrumental in spearheading impactful initiatives for organizations such as Planned Parenthood Global, International Republican Institute, Bedsider.org, ViiV Healthcare, and the truth® Initiative. These initiatives have made a significant difference across America, Asia, and Africa. In recognition of her achievements, Pradeepa was selected as an Acumen Global Fellow in 2016.
Her work spans diverse regions, including Sri Lanka, the USA, India, Timor-Leste, Nepal, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Ecuador.
Lecturer, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva
Expertise in: International Humanitarian Law and Policy
Vincent Bernard is a seasoned expert in international humanitarian law and policy. He has worked extensively in humanitarian operations where he promoted respect for humanitarian norms among armed actors, civil society organizations, and government authorities.
He held several key positions at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in operations and at headquarters, including Head of Field Communication, Editor-in-Chief of the International Review of the Red Cross (published by Cambridge University Press), and Head of the Law and Policy Forum—a unit leading the ICRC’s engagement with expert communities on humanitarian law and policy.
More recently, Vincent served as Senior Policy Advisor at the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers’ Association (ICoCA) in Geneva, focusing on the regulation and accountability of private security companies.
He studied political science, law, and international relations in Strasbourg, London, and Geneva.
Human Rights Expert
Expertise in: Human Rights
Melissa Upreti is an internationally recognized human rights lawyer and legal expert who has spent over two decades advancing women’s rights and gender equality globally, and with a strong focus on Asia. She has held key leadership and management positions at the International Commission of Jurists, the Center for Women’s Global Leadership and at the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Upreti is a former UN Special Procedures Mandate-Holder and served two terms as an Expert Member of the Human Rights Council’s UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, from 2017-2023, including as Chair-Rapporteur from 2021-2022. She is a Fellow at the University of Toronto, Law Faculty’s International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program.
Founder and Executive Director, RAKSHA Intelligence Futures
Expertise in: Risk Intelligence
Aarathi is known for her boundary-pushing approach, her published work is recognized as standard setting and has been incorporated into educational frameworks at prestigious institutions including the UN System Staff College, International Committee of the Red Cross, UN Development Program, Brandeis University, and Cornell Tech.
A trusted voice in multilateral, humanitarian, and academic spheres, Aarathi is a sought-after public speaker whose TED talk has garnered over 1.6 million views and been translated into five languages. Her insights have been featured by Fast Company, The Saturday Paper Australia, ABC Radio Australia, and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Vice President, AFGA Governing Board
Expertise in: Healthcare services for women in Afghanistan
Seema Ghani was born and raised in Afghanistan but went into exile during the Communist regime. She completed her higher education in the UK, taking advantage of the opportunity of living abroad.
Seema returned to Afghanistan in 2002 after the fall of the Taliban. During the following 20 years, she worked across three sectors—government, civil society/NGO, and private sector—carrying out reforms and setting up policies. While with the government, she managed the country's budget as Director General of Budget at the Ministry of Finance, became Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Finance, and also worked as Deputy Minister of Labour Affairs in 2011.
Seema is a volunteer vice president of two NGOs: the Afghan Family Guidance Association (affiliated with IPPF), which works for reproductive rights and health, and another organization focused on girls' education.
Marriott, Kathmandu, Nepal