Global Health Council - History

History

From its inception through the 1990s, the Council was principally funded by grants (primarily from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Centers for Disease Control )." In 1998, Nils Daulaire, formerly of USAID, became president of The Global Health Council and felt that the council should be an independent voice. The council diversified its funding as a matter of principle, even though at the time its policy agenda was consistent with that of the then administration. By 2003, only 20 percent of the council’s funding came from the U.S. government."

As the council evolved, its name had to evolve to correctly reflect the scope of the Council's work. In 1998, the National Council for International Health became the Global Health Council to better represent its work in the 21st century. The inclusion of global in its name reflected the Council's goal to include more international organizations and individuals in its membership and become the preeminent non-governmental source of information, practical experience, analysis and public advocacy for the most pressing global health issues.

Since 1998, the Council has been organizing the Global Health Action Network in pursuit of its advocacy building goals." The idea is to establish groups of motivated citizens across the U.S. with the objective to educate local communities and their elected officials about the need for a more proactive approach to global health. With this network in place, the Council is able to implement nationwide advocacy campaigns dealing with vital global health issues.

As part of the Council's work in advocacy and developing awareness of the AIDS crisis, the seventeen-year-old International AIDS Candlelight Memorial event came under their stewardship in 1999. The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial has grown to include 1,500 communities in more than 100 countries. It is the world's largest and oldest grassroots HIV/AIDS event.

The Global Health Council is continuing to grow as the voice for global health by using media outreach and its publications, including the Global Health Magazine ", its annual conference and its website to promote advocacy, education and information sharing.

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