usa & canada
2
Countries
12
Parliamentarians
latin america
& the caribbean
18
Countries
62
Parliamentarians
western
& central europe
26
Countries
94
Parliamentarians
eastern europe
& central asia
11
Countries
58
Parliamentarians
western
& central africa
12
Countries
32
Parliamentarians
middle east
& north of africa
11
Countries
27
Parliamentarians
eastern
& southern africa
11
Countries
114
Parliamentarians
asia & pacific
18
Countries
63
Parliamentarians
china
1
Countries
1
Parliamentarians
india
1
Countries
16
Parliamentarians
- All
- The Global Board
Ricardo Baptista Leite is the Founder & President of UNITE. Ricardo is a Medical Doctor trained in Infectious diseases and was a Member of the Portuguese National Parliament between 2011 and May 2023, where he was, since the beginning of his third term, the Vice-President of the Social Democratic Party Parliamentary Board and the National Spokesperson for Health of the Social Democratic Party. Ricardo is currently the CEO of HealthAI, the Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health. He is also the Chair of the NOVA Center for Global Health Lab at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS). Ricardo is a Member of the Council of the World Health Summit and also the Vice Chair of the ‘Parliamentary Network on The World Bank & International Monetary Fund’, where he works directly with The World Bank Group and IMF. The network’s mission is to provide a platform for parliamentarians around the globe to advocate for increased accountability and transparency in International Financial Institutions and multilateral development financing. In April 2019, Ricardo became Global Ambassador of the ‘G20 Health & Development Partnership’ aimed at advising and advocating G20 countries on health policies aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
open bio
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.
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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.
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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.
Dr Patnaik was a Member of Parliament of India, representing Odisha in the Rajya Sabha and general secretary of the political party BJD for 5 years (2019-2024).
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.
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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
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Gisela Scaglia is the current Vice-Governor of Santa Fe, Argentina, and the President of the Senate of that province (2023-2027). She is a former Member of Parliament in Argentina (2013-2021), where she worked in legislation on Health, Environment and Children’s Rights. She has a long career in public administration at the local and national level in Argentina. She also worked as a consultant in Social development for different organisms, promoting projects on Global Health and Children’s Rights. 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 UNITE in 2018 and she is the Chapter Chair for Latin America & Caribbean at the Global Board. She is also the Chair of the Steering Committee for the Digital Health Hub of the network.
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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.
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Dr. Mariam Jashi is the CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance and 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.
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Sonia Sidhu was elected as a Member of Parliament for Brampton South in 2015, and since has remained committed to improving healthcare, women's rights, and the welfare of her constituents. Before politics, Sonia was in the Healthcare field for nearly two decades, and this experience now serves her as she continues to champion ongoing improvements in the healthcare system. Sonia has done extensive work as a member of the Standing Committee on Health, has helped to shape policy on Universal Childcare, Dental care, Mental Health, and the COVID-19 response. She is the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and continues to strive to empower women and create gender equality. Additionally, Sonia is the chair of the All-Party Diabetes Caucus and the All-Party Celiac Caucus and has represented Canada internationally. She championed the creation of the National Framework for Diabetes, which has helped over 11 million of Canadians. As a Member of Parliament, Healthcare Professional, and mother, Sonia Sidhu continues to work hard and create positive change for her community.
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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.
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