more about

our network

UNITE is governed by our Global Board, which is composed of the Founding President and Founder and the Regional Chairs.

Both the Global Board and the network of parliamentarians from around the world in each of the 10 chapters are supported by the UNITE Secretariat.

usa & canada

  • 2

    Countries

  • 8

    Parliamentarians

latin america

& the caribbean

  • 15

    Countries

  • 44

    Parliamentarians

western

& central europe

  • 24

    Countries

  • 75

    Parliamentarians

eastern europe

& central asia

  • 10

    Countries

  • 36

    Parliamentarians

western

& central africa

  • 11

    Countries

  • 28

    Parliamentarians

middle east

& north of africa

  • 8

    Countries

  • 14

    Parliamentarians

eastern

& southern africa

  • 11

    Countries

  • 65

    Parliamentarians

asia & pacific

  • 14

    Countries

  • 39

    Parliamentarians

china

  • 1

    Countries

  • 1

    Parliamentarians

india

  • 1

    Countries

  • 8

    Parliamentarians

  • All
  • The Global Board
President & Founder of UNITE
Ambassador Dansua served on several Parliamentary Associations including the Parliamentary Network of the World Bank (PNoWB), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). Parliamentarians for Global Action( PGA), e-Parliament Network, with roles such as Secretary General to the Interim Steering Committee of Coalition of African Parliamentarians Against HIV/AIDS (CAPAH), a Pan-African network to improve advocacy, policymaking, oversight and increased Parliamentary participation in the fight against HIV/ AIDS and Secretary to the Ghana Chapter of the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC). Her tour of duty in Berlin saw among others, a marked enhancement in relations between Ghana and Germany. Ambassador Dansua was invited as the only foreign diplomat, to participate in the Expert Group meeting convened by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on future global epidemics chaired by Bill Gates in March 2015 Ambassador Dansua founded the “Advocates for Gender and Development Initiatives” (AGDI) in Ghana, an NGO that seeks to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment with Dayi FM, a community radio station. Ambassador Dansua is member of UNITE since January 2020.

Chair

Chapter chair for Western & Central Africa
open bio
Andrew Ullmann is an elected member of the German Bundestag since 2017. A physician by training, Ullmann seats at the health committee and serves as the spokesperson on health of the Free Democrats. Ullmann is also the chair of the sub-committee on Global Health of the German Bundestag. Ullmann has a background in infectious diseases from Harvard Medical School and was trained in hematology and oncology at University of Mainz, Germany. He is a full professor of infectious diseases at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany, where he also serves as a City Councilor. Andrew Ullmann is one of the most prestigious names in global health within the German Parliament and has been playing a pivotal role both in local and national politics in securing the leadership to eliminate infectious diseases.

Chair

Chapter chair for Western & Central Europe
open bio
Dr Amar Patnaik is an Indian politician and public intellectual. He was an Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer and former principal accountant general (PAG) of Sikkim, Odisha, West Bengal, and Kerala. Since June 2019, Dr Patnaik is an elected Member of Parliament of India, representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha and general secretary of the BJD Parliamentary Party office. Dr Patnaik has a background in law from Utkal University and holds two master's degrees: one in finance and systems from the Xavier’s Institute of Management, and another in Public Management from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore and John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Within global health, Dr Amar Patnaik has a longstanding track record of working closely to strengthen healthcare systems, through budget allocation & reinforcing the power of social determinants of health, such as education and sanitation infrastructures. His current research interests include institutional perspectives on developmental interventions and public policy, transparency and accountability, public finance reforms, urban sector governance, energy security, environment and sustainability issues. Dr Amar Patnaik is a member of UNITE since August 2020.

Chair

Chapter chair for India
open bio
Honourable Esther M Passaris, OGW is a Member of Parliament representing Nairobi County; the capital city in the Republic of Kenya. She is an accomplished social entrepreneur, business and political leader. In the National Assembly, Hon. Passaris is an active member of the Committee on Health and the Special Funds Account Committee. She is also a founding member of the Kenya Parliamentary Caucus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) & Business. In 2002, Hon. Passaris established Adopt-A-Light Ltd; the pioneer lighting and outdoor advertising company of the Year Awards (COYA) in recognition of its corporate citizenship management. Introduced the concept of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Kenya by implementing a multi-million US dollars project to install street poles in the city of Nairobi. In 2004, Hon Passaris was awarded the Eve Woman of the Year Award, Make a Difference Award and the Mayoral Achievement Award. In 2006, she was honored with the Mashiriki Innovations in Local Governance Award and National Human Settlement Award by UN-HABITAT

Chair

Chapter chair for Eastern & Southern Africa
open bio
Gisela Scaglia was a Member of Parliament in Argentina for two periods (2013-2021), where she worked in legislation on Environment, Health and Children's Rights. She has a long career in public administration at the local and national level in Argentina. Scaglia now works as a consultant in Social development for different organisms, promoting projects on Global Health and Children's Rights. She is Director of Women Impulse Programs at Fundación Transformar and she is the Vice-President of PRO Party in Santa Fe province. She has been Professor of Political Science at different national universities for 15 years. Scaglia was Co-Chair for Latin America of the Global TB Caucus from 2017 to 2021. Gisela Scaglia joined the network in 2018 and she is the Chapter Chair for Latin America & Caribbean at the Global Board of UNITE, and also a member of the steering committee for the Digital Health Hub.

Chair

Chapter chair for Latin America & The Caribbean
open bio
Ibtissame Azzaoui is a Moroccan Member of Parliament. Sitting at the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ibtissame plays a prominent role as a civil society activist.Due to her remarkable activism in Morocco and at the international level, she was designated Minister of Communication and Spokesperson of the youth parallel government in Morocco. Ibtissame Azzaoui sees as her mission to empower the ones that are voiceless and to advocate younger generations to engage with relevant topics such as global health, gender equality and sustainable development. Ibtissame is a frequent invited lecturer at home and abroad. When raising awareness and challenging the governments into implementing effective public policies, Ibtissame has founded a few non-profit organizations and became actively involved in cultural regional and international projects. Ibtissame Azzaoui is a member of UNITE since December 2019.

Chair

Chapter chair for Middle East & North Africa
open bio
Dr Mariam Jashi is a senior-level policymaker in Global Health, Sustainable Development and Innovative Financing bringing experience from 26 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. For 8 years (2012-2020) she served as a government official in Georgia. She is a former Member of Parliament, Chair of Education, Science and Culture Committee, Member of Health and Social Affairs Committee, Deputy Minister of Health and CEO of the Prime Minister’s Initiative for Children and Youth affected by Cancer. In 2017-2018 Dr Jashi served as the President of the Leading Group Secretariat on Innovative Financing for Development. Her earlier experience includes 11 years of humanitarian and development work with UNICEF in charge of health and nutrition programmes and consultancy with UN agencies (UNAIDS, UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA), The GAVI Alliance, The Global Fund, the World Bank and Curatio IF. Dr Jashi is the recipient of the WHO Award for contribution to Polio Eradication in Europe. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, Doctor of Medicine degree from AIETI Medical School and Master of Public Health from Tbilisi State University. Dr Mariam Jashi is a UNITE Member since November 2017.

Chair

Chapter chair for Eastern Europe & Central Asia
open bio
The youngest woman elected in the history of the Philippine Senate, Senator Pia S. Cayetano has championed legislation advancing public health, education, and the welfare of the Filipino family. Most recently, Senator Pia sponsored the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which outlined the Philippine government’s comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Chair of the Senate Ways and Means panel, Cayetano spearheaded the passage of the Sin Tax Reform Law. She also heads the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking. Her other achievements include the country’s first Reproductive Health Act, and several pro-women measures, namely, the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law, Magna Carta of Women, and Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Law. A lawyer, athlete, entrepreneur, and mother, Senator Pia continues to make strides as the ‘Pinay In Action’ of the Senate. Pia Cayetano is a member of UNITE since April 2020.

Chair

Chapter chair for Asia & Pacific
open bio

members

  • All
  • Asia & Pacific
  • China
  • Eastern Europe & Central Asia
  • Eastern & Southern Africa
  • India
  • Latin America & the Caribbean
  • Middle East & North of Africa
  • USA & Canada
  • Western & Central Africa
  • Western & Central Europe
Ambassador Dansua served on several Parliamentary Associations including the Parliamentary Network of the World Bank (PNoWB), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). Parliamentarians for Global Action( PGA), e-Parliament Network, with roles such as Secretary General to the Interim Steering Committee of Coalition of African Parliamentarians Against HIV/AIDS (CAPAH), a Pan-African network to improve advocacy, policymaking, oversight and increased Parliamentary participation in the fight against HIV/ AIDS and Secretary to the Ghana Chapter of the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC). Her tour of duty in Berlin saw among others, a marked enhancement in relations between Ghana and Germany. Ambassador Dansua was invited as the only foreign diplomat, to participate in the Expert Group meeting convened by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on future global epidemics chaired by Bill Gates in March 2015 Ambassador Dansua founded the “Advocates for Gender and Development Initiatives” (AGDI) in Ghana, an NGO that seeks to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment with Dayi FM, a community radio station. Ambassador Dansua is member of UNITE since January 2020.

Chair

Chapter chair for Western & Central Africa
open bio
Andrew Ullmann is an elected member of the German Bundestag since 2017. A physician by training, Ullmann seats at the health committee and serves as the spokesperson on health of the Free Democrats. Ullmann is also the chair of the sub-committee on Global Health of the German Bundestag. Ullmann has a background in infectious diseases from Harvard Medical School and was trained in hematology and oncology at University of Mainz, Germany. He is a full professor of infectious diseases at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany, where he also serves as a City Councilor. Andrew Ullmann is one of the most prestigious names in global health within the German Parliament and has been playing a pivotal role both in local and national politics in securing the leadership to eliminate infectious diseases.

Chair

Chapter chair for Western & Central Europe
open bio
Dr Amar Patnaik is an Indian politician and public intellectual. He was an Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer and former principal accountant general (PAG) of Sikkim, Odisha, West Bengal, and Kerala. Since June 2019, Dr Patnaik is an elected Member of Parliament of India, representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha and general secretary of the BJD Parliamentary Party office. Dr Patnaik has a background in law from Utkal University and holds two master's degrees: one in finance and systems from the Xavier’s Institute of Management, and another in Public Management from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore and John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Within global health, Dr Amar Patnaik has a longstanding track record of working closely to strengthen healthcare systems, through budget allocation & reinforcing the power of social determinants of health, such as education and sanitation infrastructures. His current research interests include institutional perspectives on developmental interventions and public policy, transparency and accountability, public finance reforms, urban sector governance, energy security, environment and sustainability issues. Dr Amar Patnaik is a member of UNITE since August 2020.

Chair

Chapter chair for India
open bio
Honourable Esther M Passaris, OGW is a Member of Parliament representing Nairobi County; the capital city in the Republic of Kenya. She is an accomplished social entrepreneur, business and political leader. In the National Assembly, Hon. Passaris is an active member of the Committee on Health and the Special Funds Account Committee. She is also a founding member of the Kenya Parliamentary Caucus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) & Business. In 2002, Hon. Passaris established Adopt-A-Light Ltd; the pioneer lighting and outdoor advertising company of the Year Awards (COYA) in recognition of its corporate citizenship management. Introduced the concept of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Kenya by implementing a multi-million US dollars project to install street poles in the city of Nairobi. In 2004, Hon Passaris was awarded the Eve Woman of the Year Award, Make a Difference Award and the Mayoral Achievement Award. In 2006, she was honored with the Mashiriki Innovations in Local Governance Award and National Human Settlement Award by UN-HABITAT

Chair

Chapter chair for Eastern & Southern Africa
open bio
Gisela Scaglia was a Member of Parliament in Argentina for two periods (2013-2021), where she worked in legislation on Environment, Health and Children's Rights. She has a long career in public administration at the local and national level in Argentina. Scaglia now works as a consultant in Social development for different organisms, promoting projects on Global Health and Children's Rights. She is Director of Women Impulse Programs at Fundación Transformar and she is the Vice-President of PRO Party in Santa Fe province. She has been Professor of Political Science at different national universities for 15 years. Scaglia was Co-Chair for Latin America of the Global TB Caucus from 2017 to 2021. Gisela Scaglia joined the network in 2018 and she is the Chapter Chair for Latin America & Caribbean at the Global Board of UNITE, and also a member of the steering committee for the Digital Health Hub.

Chair

Chapter chair for Latin America & The Caribbean
open bio
Ibtissame Azzaoui is a Moroccan Member of Parliament. Sitting at the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ibtissame plays a prominent role as a civil society activist.Due to her remarkable activism in Morocco and at the international level, she was designated Minister of Communication and Spokesperson of the youth parallel government in Morocco. Ibtissame Azzaoui sees as her mission to empower the ones that are voiceless and to advocate younger generations to engage with relevant topics such as global health, gender equality and sustainable development. Ibtissame is a frequent invited lecturer at home and abroad. When raising awareness and challenging the governments into implementing effective public policies, Ibtissame has founded a few non-profit organizations and became actively involved in cultural regional and international projects. Ibtissame Azzaoui is a member of UNITE since December 2019.

Chair

Chapter chair for Middle East & North Africa
open bio
United Arab Emirates
Dr Mariam Jashi is a senior-level policymaker in Global Health, Sustainable Development and Innovative Financing bringing experience from 26 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. For 8 years (2012-2020) she served as a government official in Georgia. She is a former Member of Parliament, Chair of Education, Science and Culture Committee, Member of Health and Social Affairs Committee, Deputy Minister of Health and CEO of the Prime Minister’s Initiative for Children and Youth affected by Cancer. In 2017-2018 Dr Jashi served as the President of the Leading Group Secretariat on Innovative Financing for Development. Her earlier experience includes 11 years of humanitarian and development work with UNICEF in charge of health and nutrition programmes and consultancy with UN agencies (UNAIDS, UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA), The GAVI Alliance, The Global Fund, the World Bank and Curatio IF. Dr Jashi is the recipient of the WHO Award for contribution to Polio Eradication in Europe. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, Doctor of Medicine degree from AIETI Medical School and Master of Public Health from Tbilisi State University. Dr Mariam Jashi is a UNITE Member since November 2017.

Chair

Chapter chair for Eastern Europe & Central Asia
open bio
The youngest woman elected in the history of the Philippine Senate, Senator Pia S. Cayetano has championed legislation advancing public health, education, and the welfare of the Filipino family. Most recently, Senator Pia sponsored the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which outlined the Philippine government’s comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Chair of the Senate Ways and Means panel, Cayetano spearheaded the passage of the Sin Tax Reform Law. She also heads the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking. Her other achievements include the country’s first Reproductive Health Act, and several pro-women measures, namely, the 105-Day Expanded Maternity Leave Law, Magna Carta of Women, and Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Law. A lawyer, athlete, entrepreneur, and mother, Senator Pia continues to make strides as the ‘Pinay In Action’ of the Senate. Pia Cayetano is a member of UNITE since April 2020.

Chair

Chapter chair for Asia & Pacific
open bio
The Gambia
The Gambia
Ivory Coast
Sierra Leone
São Tomé E Príncipe
South Africa
The Netherlands
The Netherlands
Switzerland
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom
North Macedonia
North Macedonia
North Macedonia
North Macedonia
The Philippines
The Philippines
The Philippines
The Philippines
The Philippines
The Philippines
The Philippines