John-Arne Røttingen: On the Front Lines of Pandemic Diplomacy

This month we were joined by Norway’s Ambassador for global health John-Arne Rottingen on his ‘virtual visit’ to Washington D.C. As co-chair of the ACT Accelerator Facilitation Council, Norway plays a key role in advocating for the development and distribution of Covid-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. John-Arne shared his thoughts on the promise and difficulty of conducting R&D during health emergencies. He also discussed the roles of diplomacy, trust in international relations, and political leadership in building support for global health initiatives.

John-Arne Røttingen is Norway’s Ambassador for global health, based at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was previously Director-General of the Research Council of Norway and founding CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).