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This World Leaders Forum program features an address by Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), followed by a moderated panel discussion and question and answer session with the audience.

The world today is trying to manage health risks associated with population growth, climate change, deforestation, institutional collapse, state failure, accidents, human error, war, and terrorism. The full range of risks include infectious disease outbreaks, biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear spill-overs or attacks, multiple hazards, food insecurity, state fragility, and cyber security failure or attacks. This is a breath-taking range of risks and no single institution can tackle it alone. It truly is humanity's common concern.

As the UN agency responsible for global health, the WHO is the organizational expression for humanity's common concern and we are honored to have the recently elected Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom address us on the priorities for his leadership. To discuss and debate with Dr. Tedros, we are delighted to have world-leading experts in development, disease control and prevention, and climate change and health, dissect the opportunities and challenges in managing the health risks the world faces today.

Welcoming by:
Lee C. Bollinger, President of Columbia University in the City of New York

Introduction by:
Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of The Center for Sustainable Development at The Earth Institute; University Professor; Professor of Health Policy and Management, Columbia University

Program Participants:
Elizabeth Cameron, Senior Director of Global Biological Policy and Programs, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)
Gavin Schmidt, Director of NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies at The Earth Institute, Columbia University

Moderated by: 
Wilmot James, Former Shadow Minister of Health (South Africa); Visiting Professor of Pediatrics and International Affairs, Columbia University

Cosponsored by:
Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Earth Institute's International Research Institute for Climate and Society, and School of International and Public Affairs