Empowering Youth Leadership on the Global Stage: Farida El Hefni Represents WHIS at the UN Youth Town Hall

Empowering Youth Leadership on the Global Stage: Farida El Hefni Represents WHIS at the UN Youth Town Hall

Farida El Hefni to Represent WHIS at the Inaugural UN Youth Town Hall in Heidelberg The World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS) is proud to announce that newly appointed Global Ambassador Farida El Hefni will represent WHIS at the first-ever United Nations Youth Townhall in Heidelberg, Germany. Bringing together over 1,000 participants—including young leaders, decision-makers, government representatives, civil society, and private sector innovators—the UN Youth Townhall serves as a landmark global platform for intergenerational dialogue and meaningful youth participation.

Anchored in the UN Youth Compass and building upon the UN Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on Meaningful Youth Engagement, the Townhall seeks to break down barriers, build trust across generations, and advance collective action on global challenges. As a First-Class Master of Pharmacy graduate from University College London (UCL), current medical student at Queen’s University Belfast, and Europe’s Regional Policy Assistant at the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF), Farida embodies the vital role young healthcare professionals play in shaping the future of global decision-making.

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Highlighting WHIS’s Global Impact and Initiatives During intergenerational roundtables, fireside chats, and interactive sessions at the Townhall, Farida will highlight how WHIS empowers young people and local communities to drive health creation across key global initiatives:

• Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) & Infection Security: AMR and acute infectious threats like sepsis present severe risks to global health and economic stability. Farida will share WHIS’s efforts to combine frontline clinical tools with AI-driven behavioral stewardship through the SDG3 Global AMR & Infectious Disease Centres initiative, mobilizing youth leaders to advocate for antimicrobial stewardship worldwide.
• Scaling the Global Social Prescribing Alliance (GSPA): Co-founded by WHIS alongside the WHO and international partners, the GSPA connects individuals to non-clinical, community-based care across four pillars: Art, Nature, Physical Activity, and Practical Knowledge. Farida will champion how social prescribing addresses the root determinants of health and relieves pressure on health systems.
• **Empowering Local Communities Across the Lifecycle:**WHIS delivers place-based solutions tailored to every life stage, including WHISKids (childhood emotional resilience), WHISAtwork (workforce wellbeing), WHISSeniors (healthy ageing), WHISGreen (planetary health), WHIS Tech (assistive innovations), and Women’s Health (Hiya) (maternal and equity-focused care).

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Pioneering New Financial Models for Future Healthcare Innovation Sustainable health creation requires shifting healthcare away from reactive spending toward investable preventative models. At the Townhall, Farida will showcase how WHIS is pioneering innovative financial structures to support local and global health transformation:

• World Health Service (WHS) Donor-Advised Fund (DAF): Operating as a 501(c)(3) public charity component fund, the WHIS Donor Advised Fund aggregates corporate, sovereign, and philanthropic investments to scale validated preventative health programs.
• 1% AMR Stewardship Pledge: Encouraging global healthcare and technology companies to commit 1% of profits or data capabilities toward localized diagnostic infrastructure and AMR stewardship.
• Blended Finance Vehicles: Combining public, private, and philanthropic capital through structured funds to finance long-term healthcare security.

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Looking Ahead: Global Summits in Africa and Venice 2027 Farida’s engagement at the UN Youth Townhall lays important groundwork for upcoming WHIS global convenings:

• Flagship Summit in Africa: WHIS is advancing plans for a dedicated summit across Africa to focus on community-led healthcare resilience, local infrastructure development, and youth empowerment.
• WHIS Venice 2027: Taking place in June 2027 in Venice, Italy, in partnership with MARE eHealth Technopark, WHIS Venice 2027 will bring together sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, clinicians, and youth delegations to transform preventative health delivery on a global scale.

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How Youth Can Engage and Shape the Future The UN Youth Townhall reinforces that young people must not only be heard but actively embedded in decision-making processes. WHIS invites young leaders, students, and healthcare advocates to get involved:

1. Establish, connect and support WHIS: Participate in community social prescribing programs and planetary health projects.
2. Join Global Health Roundtables: Attend WHIS webinars during World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) and global health policy sessions.
3. Contribute to Future Summits: Join our youth community and co-create intergenerational solutions for healthcare creation.

Visit whis.world to join the movement and learn how you can contribute to a healthier, more inclusive future.