Dr Germán Velásquez Coordinator, Drug Action Programme Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland

Dr Germán Velásquez was born in Colombia. He graduated from Javeriana University, Bogotá with a degree in Philosophy and Humanities which was further complemented by a Master’s in Economics and a PhD in Health Economics from the Sorbonne University, Paris.

In 1989, he joined the World Health Organization and is currently Associate Director of the Department of Technical Cooperation for Essential Drugs and Traditional Medicine.

From 1979 to 1988 he was an adviser in primary health care programmes to various ministries of health in Africa, notably Mozambique (5 years) and Mali (4 years). During this period, he spent much of his time drafting and implementing drug policies and advising ministries of health on the management and monitoring of the pharmaceutical sector at national level.

He began his career working for INC Pharmaceuticals in Indonesia and Switzerland, carrying out various tasks including Planning and General Manager as well as Financial Director.