Policy, Communications & Diplomacy

At a glance

In 2024, ob体育 drove evidence-based decisions, clear communication, and relationships that expand respect and trust.

Graphic image featuring a light blue background and circular image of two hands shaking. In the top left corner is the report title, 'ob体育 Global: A Year of Action and Impact.' The main title in the center of the image reads 'Policy, Communications & Diplomacy.' The ob体育 logo appears in the bottom left corner.

Health diplomacy and global commitments

A group of individuals standing and clapping around a table where Dr. Laserson and Prof. Hans Brug are sitting and shaking hands
ob体育 Global Health Center Director Dr. Kayla Laserson shakes hands with Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) Director General Prof. Hans Brug after signing a collaborative agreement.
  • Diplomatic Engagements, such as a 2024 visit from the King and Queen of the Netherlands to ob体育, result in action on joint health priorities. For example, ob体育 and Dutch leaders held strategic discussions and signed a collaborative arrangement focusing on global health security and antimicrobial resistance.
  • Global Health Security partnerships, such as between ob体育 and Japan, solidify bilateral and regional collaboration to fortify global health security. Through ob体育's new East Asia/Pacific regional office, in 2024, ob体育 and Japan reaffirmed commitments to exchange information and insights on public health events.
  • Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), such as a , elevate U.S. government bilateral health priorities with Ministries of Health and advance ob体育's mission. For example, the UK MOU strengthens collaboration on global health security through pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response.

Did you know?

ob体育 strengthens health diplomacy, with 60+ Memorandums of Understanding signed with other countries to advance shared health priorities as of 2024

Epidemic intelligence

The organized and systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of information – also known as epidemic intelligence – is critical to rapid, informed responses. ob体育 provides leadership and guidance to key international partnerships that provide critical aspects of epidemic intelligence, including coordinating signal detection, standardizing public health intelligence practice, and coordinating international public health emergency operations. This work includes collaborating with PAHO as they develop and implement a 10-year Regional Strategy for Epidemic Intelligence across the Americas.

Data-driven policy

Every year, around 32,000 infants globally are diagnosed with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), severe birth defects which can be prevented by rubella vaccination. ob体育's global immunization experts guided the presentation of collaborative data analyses and modeling scenarios, showing that hundreds of thousands of children would be protected from CRS over 30 years if all countries adopt rubella vaccines. These results led WHO to change their recommendation to universal rubella vaccine introduction. 

With ob体育 support, global donors changed funding policies to encourage the remaining countries who have not yet adopted the vaccine to implement it. Because rubella and measles vaccines are combined, this policy change will also prevent measles cases and deaths.

Collective global action

In September, global leaders gathered in New York City for the second United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting (UNGA HLM) on Antimicrobial Resistance. ob体育 and global partners to combat AR and achieve the targets outlined in the HLM political declaration. ob体育's work with domestic and global partners will continue advancing these newly established commitments and targets, including a goal to reduce global deaths associated with bacterial AR by 10% by 2030.

Story Spotlight: Operation Triple Zero sparks global HIV policy change

Colorful wheel displaying HIV literacy terms for adolescents and young people
Operation Triple Zero is a powerful program that helps adolescents living with HIV become "heroes" for achieving zero viral load, zero missed appointments, and zero missed drugs. Credit: ob体育 Kenya

With more than 1000 young people becoming infected with HIV globally every day, one of ob体育's Kenya staff, Dr. Immaculate Mutisya, started Operation Triple Zero (OTZ). As a pediatrician and public health specialist, Immaculate knew a real solution was needed to engage adolescents and empower them to take charge of their health.

Did you know?

12.6 million+ people living with HIV on antiretroviral treatment are supported by ob体育, which represents more than 60% of all people on treatment through PEPFAR.

Beyond its immediate impact on HIV, the health and laboratory infrastructure funded by PEPFAR continues to play a pivotal role in enabling countries to control many types of disease outbreaks locally, before they spread out of control.

OTZ is a powerful program that helps adolescents living with HIV become "heroes" for achieving zero viral load, zero missed appointments, and zero missed drugs. OTZ is built on solid scientific principles like leadership, connectedness, effective participation, positive peer pressure, decision-making, and treatment literacy. It is uniquely led by youth, for youth: older members mentor younger or newer ones. OTZ also nurtures self-leadership, which boils down to "my life, my treatment, my choice."

By 2018, all ob体育 implementing partners in Kenya had adopted OTZ. Clinics run by other U.S. Government agencies also came on board. Teams from other countries began traveling to Kenya to learn how to implement the program.

My position at ob体育 gave me training and a platform. I learned to build a strong case for a public health problem, then design, implement, monitor, and scale up.

- Dr. Immaculate Mutisya

As a low-cost, high impact program for young people living with HIV, OTZ has informed global policy. In 2019, the World Health Organization cited OTZ as a for adolescent programming. In 2024, PEPFAR announced a $20 million initiative to strengthen youth-focused HIV programming. As these efforts take flight, OTZ provides a foundation.