On World Health Day, we recognize the contributions of UN Volunteers who raise awareness about Sustainable Development Goal 3. One of them is Daisy Lanvers, a Health Economic Analyst with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Istanbul Regional Hub located in Türkiye. Daisy focuses on how diseases impact the health and economy of countries, and also how investing in health benefits everyone, both in terms of well-being and financial sustainability.
Daisy is from France. She discovered UNV while at university, and after graduating, she started a UN Volunteer assignment as a Health Economics Analyst for UNDP’s HIV and Health unit.
Daisy is responsible for economic modeling; a simplified representation of reality that helps economists understand and predict economic behaviour. She uses WHO's One Health Tool, which estimates the health impacts of scaled-up actions. With precision and expertise, together with the UNDP team, Daisy crafts detailed investment cases, showcasing the potential benefits of health interventions.
Some of the most rewarding moments are witnessing life-saving policy changes resulting from the investment cases my team and I developed. Seeing how our analyses translate into concrete actions—whether in the form of new health policies, increased taxation on health-harming products, or strengthened public health programmes—has been incredibly inspiring.”
Due to the complex nature of economic modeling, Daisy faced challenges in coming up with a set of new software on her own and felt isolated being the only economist in her team. She reached out to fellow economists who were eager to help. With their guidance, she was able to develop the necessary skills. Now she leads projects with confidence. “Becoming a UN Volunteer has been a unique opportunity to kickstart my career with the UN, and I’m truly grateful for it.” Daisy shares, “Volunteering in the United Nations system is a great way to take on new challenges, work abroad, meet inspiring people, and be part of an organization doing meaningful work.”
Daisy has been leading projects across Algeria, Bangladesh, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Morocco, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates, working closely with health ministries to provide technical support for public health policy. In her early learning days, she supported the UNDP country office in Indonesia, where she supported the immunization supply chain for better TB, HIV, and malaria care through digitalization, and interacting with professionals on the ground. Another memorable experience was attending the Istanbul Youth Workshop—learning over a week with new team members and sharing best practices.
The World Health Assembly in Geneva was an eye-opening experience that left a lasting impact on me. I attended conferences on a range of health topics, where I was able to engage with people who shared the same passion for improving health outcomes. What made this experience so memorable was not only the knowledge I gained but also the sense of belonging. I was surrounded by individuals who truly understood the importance of health on a global scale, and it reaffirmed why I’m so dedicated to this field.”
For Daisy, World Health Day is more than just an international observance. It’s a day to be mindful of the challenges in global healthcare and to scale up health interventions. “It is all about raising awareness about what still needs to be done. And to ensure that everyone has access to the healthcare they need."