Accra Reset Launches High-Level Panel to Reform Global Health Governance

The Chancery of the Accra Reset, an African-led health and economic sovereignty initiative championed by John Dramani Mahama, has announced the formation of a high-level panel to drive reforms in global health architecture and governance.

The newly established 18-member panel is tasked with producing concrete and actionable proposals to restructure the global health system one that organizers say has historically positioned Global South governments as passive recipients rather than active decision-makers.

Global Leadership Driving Reform

The panel will be co-chaired by prominent global health and policy leaders, including Peter Piot, El Hadj As Sy, Nísia Trindade, and Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

Their mandate is to reshape a global health order that better reflects equity, sovereignty, and inclusion, ensuring that developing nations play a central role in shaping policies that affect their populations.

Collaboration with Global Institutions

The panel’s work will be guided by a High-Level Consultative Group designed to foster structured engagement with key international organizations. These include the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, Global Fund, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, African Union Development Agency, and the International Finance Corporation.

This engagement framework aims to ensure that reform proposals are both inclusive and aligned with existing global health governance structures.

Immediate Action and Global Input

The panel is expected to begin work immediately, with its terms of reference set to be refined and adopted through consultations with major global platforms such as the World Health Assembly and the United Nations General Assembly.

Sidibé Appointed Special Advisor

Adding further expertise to the initiative, Michel Sidibé has been appointed as Special Advisor to the panel and Envoy of the co-chairs. A former Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and Mali’s former Minister of Health, Sidibé brings decades of experience navigating and shaping global health systems.

A Push for Equity and Sovereignty

The Accra Reset initiative reflects a growing call for fairness, representation, and sovereignty in global health governance, particularly for nations in Africa and the broader Global South.

With its high-level composition and ambitious mandate, the panel is expected to play a critical role in redefining how global health decisions are made—and who gets to make them.