BIOSKETCH

Michel Zaffran is the Rotary Representative of the UN in Geneva the Regional Vice-Chair for south Europe of Rotary International « Countdown to History campaign Committee ».

During the period 2016-2021, Michel Zaffran was Director, Polio Eradication at the World Health Organization and the the chair of the Global Polio Eradication initiative (GPEI) Strategy Committee.

He retired from WHO In 2021 after 33 years of service during which he had held several positions:

• Director of the Expanded Programme on Immunization.
• Director of project Optimize, a WHO-PATH collaboration founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which aimed at catalyzing a shared vision of the future of immunization logistics and supply chain systems.
• Coordinator in charge of Vaccine Prequalification, Vaccine Supply Chain Management, and Financing of immunization programmes.
• WHO representative on the Working Group which designed and launched Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
• Deputy Executive Secretary of Gavi in 2006-2007 (seconded by WHO).

Michel Zaffran is a French National born in Algeria. He holds a master’s degree in engineering from Ecole Centrale (France) and a certificate in Tropical Epidemiology.