Dr Philippe Douste-Blazy is a cardiologist, politician, and former Minister for Health, Minister of Culture and Foreign Minister of France. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of UNITLIFE and previously served as the chairman of the executive board of UNITAID, the international drug purchase facility hosted by the World Health Organization.
He was the mayor of Lourdes from 1989-2000 and Toulouse from 2001-2004. Since 2008, Douste-Blazy has been Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General on Innovative Financing for Development. Douste-Blazy is also responsible for organizing the first World Conference of Non-Governmental Donors, which seeks to raise funds to facilitate the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
Through his work with the UN and UNITAID, Douste-Blazy travels extensively throughout the world raising money for governmental and non-governmental global health organizations as well as advising the UN Secretary General on global health issues.
Dr Douste-Blazy holds a number of honors and distinctions for his services to society:
Commandeur dans l’Ordre royal norvégien du mérite
Chevalier dans l’Ordre de la Légion d’honneur
Grand-Croix de l’Ordre du mérite du Chili
Commandeur de l’Ordre d’Isabelle la Catholique
Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Honorary Knight Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire