• 26 September 2023, 10 am – 4 pm (CEST)
• Enabel Conference Center, Brussels

We are happy to invite all Be-cause health members and friends to our 2023 General Assembly (GA). This year’s GA will take place at the Enabel Conference Center in Brussels.

! Caution ! The entrance for the Conference Center is at the side of the Enabel building, rue Saint-Ghislain 70, 1000 Brussels.

We kick-off with the formal part of our GA in the morning, followed by a sandwich lunch, 4 keynote presentations and a debate on ‘Lessons learned from the pandemic?’ in the afternoon, and close with a network drink, for which you are all kindly invited.

We hope to see you all there!
Kind regards

Stefaan Van Bastelaere – Chair Be-cause health
Magalie Schotte – Coordinator Be-cause health

• Attendence is free, Registration is mandatory.
• Registrations are extended until the 22nd of September 12 pm (CEST).

Preparatory documents will be sent out to all registered participants one week before the GA.

Please register here!

ON THE AGENDA

• 9:30 am: Registration and Welcome Coffee
• 10:00 am: Welcome speech by the Chair of Be-cause health
• 10:10 am: Short Round of Introduction
• 10:30 am: Statutory Part I
  • Approval of the minutes GA 26 April 2022
  • Annual Report 2022, including expenses 2022
  • Presentation activities 2023 and budget 2023
• 11:00 am: Coffee break
• 11:20 am: Statutory Part II
  • Discussion on new Internal Regulations (vote for approval)
  • Presentation candidate member organisations (vote for approval)
  • Presentation new WG coordinators
  • Election new member of the SC (vote for approval)
  • AOB
• 1:00 pm: Sandwich lunch
• 2:00 pm: In-depth discussion: ‘Lessons learned from the Pandemic?’
  • Setting the scene : 4 keynotes
    • “Where are we today with the Pandemic Treaty?” by Priti Patnaik (Founding Editor at Geneva Health Files)
    • “Severity of COVID pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa” by Wim Van Damme (Professor in Public Health and Health Policy at the ITM)
    • “Pandemic Preparedness and Response, the need for a systematic approach” by Elisabeth Paul (Associate Professor at the School of Public Health of the ULB)
    • “Negotiating a Pandemic Treaty at the WHO: Pitfalls and Potentials” by Lauren Paremoer (Senior Lecturer at the Political Studies Department, University of Cape Town and a member of Peoples Health Movement South Africa)
  • Q&A
  • Debate “How to implement the lessons learned by Belgium?”
    Discussants: Michiel Van Der Heyden (Attaché International Relations at FPS Health Belgium), Hannes Dekeyser (Attaché at FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) and Dries Merre (Advisor to Caroline Gennez, Minister of Development Cooperation and Major Cities) 
• 4:00 pm: Network drink

KIND REMINDER: CALL FOR A NEW MEMBER OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

Are you concerned with the right to health? Do you have an expertise in global health? Are you as Be-cause health member active in a working group? There is an opportunity now to contribute to the platform as we are calling for a new member to join our steering committee.
The Internal Regulations in Dutch or in French clarify how Be-cause health functions, and give a short description of the role and requirements of a steering committee member. To guarantee the representativeness of the network within the steering committee, we are especially looking for persons linked to an NGO, however other profiles are also welcome! Young professionals are specifically encouraged to apply.

All candidates will be asked to present themselves during the General Assembly and to explain their motivation. New steering committee members are chosen by the General Assembly by consensus or by anonymous voting if there are more candidates than mandates available.

If you are interested, send an e-mail with your candidacy, CV and short motivation at the latest by September 12 or contact Magalie Schotte (Be-cause health) for any question prior to your candidature.