Remarks: We have decided not to fear the future, but to embrace it, and to shape it, so that it improves outcomes for everyone.

Remarks delivered by Stephen Keppel, President of PVBLIC Foundation at the Global Health Futures Forum during the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly

Thursday, 24 September 2026 | SDG Media Zone at the United Nations Headquarters

As Delivered

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Global Health Futures Forum.

It is an honor to host you here at the United Nations during the 81st Session of the General Assembly. Thank you for spending your day with us. I also want to thank our event partners and supporters: CIEN+ Health, Helfie.ai, Novartis, Akkad Holdings Family Office, J&B Medical. Your support reflects a belief we share: the future of health will be built through partnership.

Three years ago, in the SDG Media Zone downstairs on the plaza, we started a conversation about health equity, grounded in a simple belief: health is one of the greatest social equalizers, and closing the health gap means closing the opportunity gap.

That conversation became a Forum in 2024. Last year, more than 80 senior leaders joined us here for a day of ideas and discussions, and one panel, Global Health Futures, left us with a question we couldn't put down: how do we move from talking about health equity to delivering it? So we built a program, launched this year, to help countries move from priorities to implementation. Today, it lends its name to this Forum.

Our theme is how we build a global health system that serves all of humanity, turning technology, creative capital, and innovative ideas into action. The opportunity is no longer a lack of solutions. It is connecting the right solution with the right partners, capital, and country priorities, at scale.

Here is what's ahead for today. We'll begin with The Global Health Reckoning led by Ana Rold, Founder and CEO of Diplomatic Courier, asking how healthcare must change as the world changes. We'll explore how AI and data can move from promise to impact, and what infrastructure, workforce, and financing it takes to scale. Before lunch, partners will take the stage to sign an agreement to advance Global Health Futures.

This afternoon, government leaders from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Indonesia will share how they are turning priorities into action. Dr. David Rhew, Global Chief Medical Officer of Microsoft will join us for a fireside conversation. And we will close with the power of sport, featuring 4-time Olympic medalist Angela Ruggiero and former Premier League player Duncan Watmore.

We are living in challenging times. Health systems are strained, the pace of change is relentless, and it would be easy to look ahead with worry. But look around this room.

Governments, innovators, investors, and implementers, all here because we are working on solutions. We have decided not to fear the future, but to embrace it, and to shape it, so that it improves outcomes for everyone. Let's make today count.

Thank you.