Presented by
Peter Navario, PhD, MPH
CEO, HealthRight International
Clinical Associate Professor,
NYU School of Global Public Health


Despite decades of substantial investment — and genuine successes, most notably in HIV — development assistance for health (DAH) has largely failed to build the resilient, self-sustaining health systems that low- and middle-income countries need. The prevailing grant-making model is characterized by siloed, short-term, donordriven projects that generate limited and fleeting impact. The dramatic cuts to DAH by the US and other bilateral donors in 2025 create an urgent opening to reimagine how global health is financed. The next generation of funding models must distribute decision-making power and accountability more equitably across communities, implementers, and funders — connecting capital directly to local innovators, investing in long-term health systems strengthening, and treating civil society organizations as strategic partners worthy of investment. This talk, featuring Dr. Peter S. Navario, will present a new model for financing locally-owned public health work at scale, developed by HealthRight International, as one promising path forward.