Side Event during the 79th WHA: What’s at Stake and What Comes Next for Global Health Reform
On the sidelines of the 79th WHA, the Partnership for International Politics and Diplomacy for Health convened a conversation among eminent and emerging global health leaders, including faculty and fellows from the Partnership’s Executive Program. We asked them about ‘elephants in the room’; narratives that must be challenged; questions that are still avoided; and uncomfortable truths that have not been articulated so far.
Discussions at this year’s World Health Assembly reaffirmed that reform of the international system for health remains high on the global health agenda. Even though reform dialogues have moved well beyond problem diagnosis, concrete reform recommendations are yet to be put forward. At this stage, it is crucial to keep the conversation going and ensure it remains inclusive and accessible.
Several recurring themes emerged from the conversation at this side event. Participants warned of 'reformitis' or the risk that reform becomes a buzzword without transforming mandates or power structures. Institutional self-preservation was identified as a major threat, with organizations unlikely to initiate their own downscaling without political pressure. The redistribution of power was acknowledged as the central and most contested question. And a deep-rooted trust deficit, built up over two decades of unfulfilled promises, was named as an undeniable elephant in the room.
This and many other insights are available in the full report here.