Philippe Douste-Blazy is a French cardiologist, politician, and former minister of culture and foreign minister of France. He serves 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. In 2017, Douste-Blazy’s name appeared on the shortlist of candidates for Director General of the World Health Organization. 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.