More than 60 representatives of leading global health policy, technical, advocacy, and financing institutions and people living with noncommunicable diseases gathered at UNICEF House in New York on September 15, 2022 to introduce the PEN-Plus Partnership, a major international initiative aimed at addressing the global burden of severe NCDs and injuries that cause more than 500,000 avoidable deaths every year among children and young adults living in extreme poverty. More than a thousand viewers watched the event livestream on UNICEF’s Twitter account.

The event featured:

  • opening remarks from leaders of UNICEF and the World Health Organization’s African Regional Office, both of which are founding members of the Partnership, as well as the World Bank and WHO headquarters;

  • presentations introducing PEN-Plus and the investment case for PEN-Plus expansion and scale-up from the co-chairs of the NCDI Poverty Network, Ana Mocumbi and Gene Bukhman;

  • a panel discussion featuring two people with experience as PEN-Plus providers — NCDI Poverty Network Director of Programs Emily Wroe and Clinical Officer and PEN-Plus master trainer Bright Mailosi from Partners In Health — and two who are now playing leading roles in initiating and supporting PEN-Plus expansion to 10 new countries — Biraj Karmacharya from the Nepal NCDI Poverty Commission and Dhulikhel Hospital and UNICEF Health Specialist Raoul Bermejo;

    • a panel discussion featuring representatives of people living with severe NCDs and of leading disease-specific organizations focused on type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease – Voices of NCDI Poverty Advocacy Fellow Paladie Kampuhwe Mategeko; Isaac Odame of the Global Sickle Cell Disease Network; Dhruv Kazi of the American Heart Association; and Aaron Kowalski of JDRF; and

  • closing remarks from Gina Agiostratidou, type 1 diabetes program director for the Helmsley Charitable Trust.

You can watch the full recording of the event below or use the chapter breaks marked by small blue dots in the playbar below the video to select specific sections.