05/26/2026
"Really... why are you here?"
A remarkable woman I met in Geneva asked me this before one of the World Health Assembly talks. I'd already told her what I was doing there — but it made me think.
"I'm here because I'm tired of living in a country of self-interested exploitation. I wanted to be with people focused on the health of the whole world, moving forward together."
She ran an organization working for women's equity in African nations. Of course she did!
That's exactly what I experienced at the talks, panels, and discussions around the WHA — incredible people making a massive effort to level the global playing field. Reproductive health, sexual equity, climate change, social determinants of health... the rest of the world is showing up, naming the challenges, and funding solutions — while the U.S. sits in self-imposed exclusion.
I've been in the same rooms as dignitaries, NGO executives, high-ranking politicians, WHO committee heads, and so many others who simply want to figure out how we make things right. Is it perfect? Far from it. But the voices are intelligent, capable, and sane.
A moment that hit me in the heart: An indigenous woman from New Zealand — head of the World Federation of Public Health Associations — began her presentation by removing her shoes. In her culture, the God of War inhabits the 10 feet outside a dwelling's door. So they remove their shoes to ensure no conflict enters the space. She then reminded us to stop seeing "population" as data, numbers, and dollars — and remember we're people, together on this planet.
We also kicked off the WHA with a walk — music, dancing, people from everywhere, celebrated together. No politics. Just one question:
How do we create health as a fundamental human right for everyone, amid climate change and continued conflict?
Hard questions; many answers! But one thing is clear — exclusion, political tantrums, and bullying aren't getting the world anywhere.
I'm now on week 2 here. More to come! 🌍
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Angela Coulter
+919 605 0580
Angela Coulter
+919 605 0580
On Tue, May 26, 2026, 7:02 AM Angela Coulter wrote:
"Really... why are you here?"
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