Mariska Meurs
Global health advocate
“Injustice is something that really gets to me. At a global scale, wealth and opportunities are so skewed. Millions of people still go without the most basic healthcare, while the money to provide those services is there, but it’s in the wrong hands and at the wrong places. If that injustice, leading to large-scale inequity, is not addressed, I don’t think we can realize Health for All. Wemos addresses underlying injustice and causes of ill-health and advocates for more democratic decision- making and fairer policies. That is why I wanted to work at Wemos, 17 years ago and continue my commitment. Because structural change doesn’t come easy and Wemos is in it for the long run.”
As a global health advocate, Mariska primarily focuses on the themes financing for health and global health governance. She is involved in policy analysis and influencing on national and global level, under the umbrella of the Health Systems Advocacy program.
Her experience at Wemos as well as outside the organization have made her an expert on various global health topics, ranging from economic policy and health, nutrition, the role of WHO, and health insurance to programme management, planning and monitoring. She was actively involved in the establishment of the Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2) in May 2016 via her collaboration with partner organizations and networks. The hub is a platform that facilitates joint advocacy for civil society organizations.
Mariska Meurs studied Social Geography in Developing Countries at Utrecht University. She has taken courses in facilitating groups, budget advocacy and Managing Professionals (De Baak Management Center). Previously, she also worked for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations (UN) in Chile and at the UN head office in New York.
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