Oundle School was delighted to welcome Dr David Nabarro (Ldr 66) to deliver the 2017 Oundle Lecture. Before an audience of School governors, the Head, guests and the Lower Sixth Form, Dr Nabarro outlined his work of many years at the frontline of public health.
After training as a medical doctor, he worked in the field in countries including Iraq, Nepal and Kenya before joining WHO, where he chaired and coordinated response operations to issues such as food security, avian influenza, the 2004 tsunami, cholera in Haiti and Ebola.
Among his many achievements, he highlighted the success of the 2000 - 2015 Millennium Development Goals, which focused on developing countries and included: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promotion of gender; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating disease; ensuring environmental sustainability; developing a global partnership for development. Over the course of 15 years most of these major points had been addressed.
Dr Nabarro is currently serving as Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change. Seventeen goals which laid out a plan for the future well-being of people across the globe were negotiated and agreed by all leaders in 2015; the goals are universal, interconnected and inclusive.
Linked to these issues is climate change, which Dr Nabarro said poses a far greater threat than any war, particularly for small countries which are affected by changing weather patterns and rising sea levels. He was keen to point out that he felt the United States would honour the Paris Agreement, despite the position recently taken by the White House.
Dr Nabarro concluded with a discussion of health issues and the role of the WHO in the UN. He focused on disease outbreaks, sexual health and chronic conditions, highlighting the need to exercise well and eat sensibly to help fend off disease and improve life expectancy.
All in all, it was a fabulous talk with a number of searching questions taken from pupils and adult guests alike.
J Bessent
Sanderson Fellow