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About the Commission

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Commission co-chairs Admiral William J. Fallon and Helene Gayle

The Commission on Smart Global Health Policy brings together for the first time a diverse, prominent group of American opinion leaders – the majority of whom come from outside global health – to consider the tough question of how is the U.S. to pursue a long-term, strategic approach to global health.

The Commission's final report, to be released in January 2010, will outline a smart approach to global health that sustains U.S. leadership and seeks the greatest impact on the ground, even during a global economic crisis.

What is smart global health policy?

  • It is about taking a fresh look.
  • It is an approach that systematically builds Smart Power – the careful integration of all instruments of U.S. influence that can effectively restore U.S. standing in the world and advance U.S. national interests.
  • It is strategic, long-term and grounded in realism and hope. It is about hard choices.
  • It is an approach that looks beyond conventional wisdom. It takes a new, independent look at our capacities and constraints.
  • It is about finding ways to surmount enduring challenges.
  • It is about preserving the human dimension of health that inspires action.
  • It gives top priority to effective prevention, averting high-cost outcomes, and measuring impacts.
  • It seeks policies that are sustainable, integrated, efficient, balanced, data-driven, and able to leverage a wide range of partners.

Who We Are

The Commission comprises twenty-six prominent, accomplished leaders from the private sector, U.S. Congress, academia, media, and the security, foreign policy and global health communities. Helene Gayle, President and CEO of CARE, and Admiral William J. Fallon, former Commander of U.S. Central Command and Pacific Command, co-chair the effort. Learn more about the Commissioners.

The Commission's Genesis

The Commission has its roots in the 2007 CSIS Smart Power Commission, which successfully introduced the idea of "smart power" - the careful integration of all instruments of U.S. power - into American politics. The Smart Power final report put a special focus on global health, eloquently making the case for public health investments as the leading edge of U.S. development programs and for improving the U.S. image abroad.

The Commission publicly launched on April 21, 2009 under the leadership of J. Stephen Morrison and Lisa Carty, Director and Deputy Director, respectively, of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center. Watch a video of the launch here.

The Commission operates from the premise that global health matters. Investments in health, while benefitting people first, advance a wide-range of foreign policy, security, economic and development interests. The Commissioners came together through the shared belief that the United States has exceptional scientific, leadership, and financial assets to ensure major future gains in global health, and that true success can only be created over time through a set of focused, balanced priorities sustained over the next decade and beyond.

The Commission publicly launched on April 21, 2009 under the leadership of J. Stephen Morrison and Lisa Carty, Director and Deputy Director, respectively, of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center. Watch a video of the launch.

Our Work

This is a challenging but also opportune time in U.S. history. The exceptional array fo prominent opinion leaders has the capacity to leverage its collective insights in shaping U.S. global health efforts by defining goals and priorities for the next decade and beyond, articulating guiding principles for U.S. action, and identifying the elements essential to a long-term implementation strategy.

Throughout 2009, the Commission will formally meet twice at CSIS headquarters in Washington, DC. Commissioners will also travel to Kenya to witness first-hand the impact of global health programs - as well as the remaining challenges. The Commission will also hold public consultations in the Research Triangle, North Carolina and San Francisco, California to better inform its deliberations and to highlight how these dynamic regions generate new knowledge, skills, jobs and external partnerships essential to U.S. leadership in global health. The final Commission report will be released in January 2010.

Timeline

  • April 21 : Commission launch
  • June 10 : First Commission meeting in Washington, DC
  • August 8-13 : Fact-finding mission to Kenya with CARE
  • September 14, 21 : Public consultations in the Research Triangle, NC and San Francisco, CA
  • October 16 : 2nd Commission meeting in Washington, DC
  • November-January : Commission solicits online feedback on the preliminary report
  • March 18 : Commission publishes its final report
  • March onwards : Commission promulgates its final report among policymakers and NGOs