Implications of Global Health Diplomacy

Global health diplomacy (GHD) can be used and practiced to strengthen five global arenas: (1) International Cooperation and Global Solidarity, (2) Global Economy, Trade, and Development, (3) Global Health Security, (4) Strengthening health systems, and (5) Addressing Inequities to achieve health-related global targets [1]. It can be seen as a political change aimed at promoting global health while maintaining and building broad international partnerships, particularly in places impacted by conflict and resource constraints[2].

Global health diplomacy is regarded as an essential tool in smart diplomacy, particularly during emergencies such as outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics, in order for the global community to respond in a timely and effective way. It results in enhanced global health, greater equity, improved relations and trust among nations, and an increased commitment on the part of stakeholders to collaborate on a national and global scale.  GHD at the national level to frame their interests and negotiate at the global platforms for better outcomes, which plays an important role as nations have become more aware of improving their countries' health systems by focusing on surveillance systems, infrastructure, and investing more in science and technology to solve today's and tomorrow's challenges in more scientific and technologically sound ways [3].

References:

1. The COVID-19 pandemic as an excellent opportunity for global health diplomacy. (n.d.). Frontiers. //www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.655021/full#B1

2. Adams V, Novotny TE, Leslie H. Global health diplomacy. Med Anthropol. (2008) 27:315–23. doi: 10.1080/01459740802427067

3. Chattu VK, Aslanyan G. Global health partnerships and translation. In: Haring R, Kickbusch I, Ganten D, Moeti M, editors. Handbook of Global Health. Cham: Springer (2021). p. 1–33

Global health diplomacy, which is how countries work together on health issues, is not something countries can choose to do or not. It's now something they must do. After the pandemic, global health diplomacy will have a big impact on things like giving out vaccines fairly, countries working together, and keeping the world safe from health problems. As countries deal with all the complicated health problems in the world, good diplomacy will still be really important in helping to keep people healthy and safe around the world.

References:

1. Kickbusch, I., & Lister, G. (2014). Global health diplomacy: Concepts, issues, actors, instruments, fora, and cases. Springer.
2. Katz, R., Kornblet, S., & Arnold, G. (2011). The Role of Global Health Diplomacy in the Ebola Response. Global Health Governance, 9(3), 58-67.

Global Health Diplomacy is the process of using diplomatic skills and strategies to address global health challenges collaboratively. It bridges the gap between health and foreign policy, acknowledging that health issues have implications beyond national boundaries. the implications of global health diplomacy are far-reaching and encompass various aspects, including political, economic, social, and public health. 

• It can improve global health security and population health by fostering cooperation and coordination among countries to prevent, detect, and respond to health threats, such as pandemics, bioterrorism, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental hazards.
• It can enhance global health equity and justice by promoting universal health coverage, access to essential medicines and vaccines, human rights, and social determinants of health for all people, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized.
• It can advance global health innovation and development by facilitating knowledge exchange, technology transfer, research collaboration, and capacity building among countries and stakeholders to address health needs and challenges.
• It can strengthen global health governance and leadership by engaging diverse actors from different sectors and levels, such as Govt, international organizations, civil society, academia, the private sector, and media in shaping and implementing the global health agenda and norms.
• It can contribute to global peace and stability by building trust, dialogue, and mutual understanding among countries and regions through health cooperation and diplomacy, especially in areas of conflict or tension.

References: 

1. Asadi-Lari, M., Ahmadi Teymourlouy, A., Maleki, M. et al. Opportunities and challenges of global health diplomacy for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res 21, 1193 (2021). //doi.org/10.1186/s12913-021-07240-3
2. Global health diplomacy: a strategic opportunity for India - International Institute for Global Health. (n.d.).  //iigh.unu.edu/publications/articles/global-health-diplomacy-a-strategic-opportunity-for-india.html
3. HEALTH DIPLOMACY: Actors, Tools & Processes in 2023. (n.d.). Diplo.  //www.diplomacy.edu/topics/health-diplomacy/
4. Global Health Diplomacy_s Impact. (2023, August 21).  //iihmrdelhi.edu.in/blog/global-health-diplomacy_s-impact/

Diplomacy is a constitutive part of the system of global health governance. COVID-19 hit the world when multilateral cooperation was subject to major challenges, and global health has since become integral to geopolitics. The importance of global health diplomacy, especially at WHO, in keeping countries jointly committed to improving health for everyone, has once again been shown.

To read more:

//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9113726/

Health diplomacy is conducted in many venues, some of which are focused on health negotiations, such as the World Health Assembly, and some of which have a broader agenda, such as the United Nations General Assembly or the Human Rights Council. This can lead to international agreements, treaties and conventions. In some cases Member States are represented by high-level health officials, such as ministers of health; in other arenas, or major international conferences, negotiations are usually conducted by diplomats, but may also include other major players, such as international nongovernmental organizations.

Many examples show that health diplomacy works and that the alignment of health and foreign policy can generate significant benefits for health. There is an increasing recognition of health as a goal of foreign policy and as a key contributor to development, peace, poverty reduction, social justice and human rights. Health diplomacy can have an important role in supporting sustainable development by addressing health as a social and economic issue of high relevance and in dealing both individually and collectively with health challenges. It can support countries in protecting joint interests and in taking positions on matters of common concern, such as access to health security, health promotion, disease control, access to medicines and technologies, food security, water and the post-2015 agenda.

The concept of Digital Global Health Diplomacy (DGHD) is a new mode of communication that is in its infancy and is playing a very critical role in addressing a wider spectrum of global issues. These issues range from the pandemic, infodemic management, saving the world from misinformation about vaccines, climate change, addressing equity gaps, strengthening bonds between nations, and policy development for various health crises. The concept of DGHD reminds us again of the criticality of its multidisciplinary nature through the contributions of diplomats, global health specialists, digital technology experts, economists, trade specialists, international law, political scientists, etc., in the global policymaking process. DGHD, if used effectively by trained global health diplomats, has a great scope of delivering results faster and has more reach than the traditional approach by utilizing innovative digital platforms. 

References 

WHO, Health diplomacy | Global health needs global health diplomacy

Chattu V. K. (2022). "Digital global health diplomacy" for climate change and human security in the Anthropocene. Health promotion perspectives, 12(3), 277–281. //doi.org/10.34172/hpp.2022.35

Diplomacy poses a critical impact in the field of health, with its significance expanding into various aspects of foreign policy, security policy, development strategies, and trade agreements. To effectively negotiate for health interests amidst competing priorities, there is a growing demand for new skills. Many of today's complex health challenges cannot be resolved through technical means alone; they require political negotiations and solutions that often involve a diverse array of stakeholders. Health diplomacy operates at multiple levels, ranging from global health diplomacy that addresses shared concerns requiring cooperation among numerous countries to regional, bilateral, and national contexts.

Health diplomacy unfolds across various platforms, including specialized health negotiation forums such as the World Health Assembly and broader international forums like the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. These diplomatic efforts can culminate in the development of international agreements, treaties, and conventions. Depending on the setting, Member States may be represented by senior health officials, such as health ministers, while in other arenas or major international conferences, diplomats typically lead negotiations, often in collaboration with other influential entities like international non-governmental organizations.

Health diplomacy manifests in various ways, encompassing collaborative research, public health campaigns, medical knowledge sharing, and rapid response actions during emergencies. Its application frequently arises in combating infectious disease outbreaks, addressing environmental health hazards, and managing the worldwide dissemination of chronic illnesses. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a prime illustration, underscoring the significance of global-level cooperation facilitated by health diplomacy in resolving critical challenges.

Reference:

EMRO. (n.d.). About health diplomacy. WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. //www.emro.who.int/health-topics/health-diplomacy/about-health-diplomacy.html . 

Diplomacy has an important function in health. As health becomes an increasingly important component of foreign policy, security policy, development initiatives, and trade agreements, new skills will be required to negotiate for health in the face of competing interests. An increasing number of health concerns cannot be managed just on a technical level; they necessitate political negotiations and solutions, typically involving a diverse range of parties. There are various levels of health diplomacy. Global health diplomacy focuses on health challenges that require the cooperation of many countries to address common concerns, but health diplomacy can also play an important role at the regional, bilateral, and national levels.

Health diplomacy is crucial for the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region countries since many of the development difficulties they face are directly related to health, and the region is disproportionately affected by man-made and humanitarian crises. It is becoming more important as the Region seeks solutions to crises that necessitate global action and cross-border collaboration, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), humanitarian health aid, noncommunicable illnesses, and antibiotic resistance. However, history demonstrates that health diplomacy at the national and regional levels is crucial for implementing health projects through complicated collaborations. For example, polio eradication in the Region is contingent on effective talks with various actors whose trust must be acquired, as well as the establishment of a safe and secure environment.

Sources: //www.emro.who.int/health-topics/health-diplomacy/about-health-diplomacy.html

According to the WHO, GHD brings together public health, law, international affairs, management, and economics, focusing on negotiating and defining the global health policy climate. GHD's basic principle is that countries should collaborate in international fora to address public health concerns. Kickbusch defines GHD as "the multi-level and multi-actor negotiation processes that shape and manage the global policy environment for health in health and non-health fora." Furthermore, the health problems/threats addressed diplomatically have become broad, ranging from neglected tropical diseases to rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR), infectious diseases, medicine accessibility, the sale of dangerous, counterfeit drugs, and the brain drain disaster. As a result, global health has become more diverse as the number of participants has increased and the interests have appealed to traditional humanitarian values linked with health as well as ideas based on national and global security.

Taghizade S, Chattu VK, Jaafaripooyan E and Kevany S (2021) COVID-19 Pandemic as an Excellent Opportunity for Global Health Diplomacy. Front. Public Health 9:655021. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.655021

The relationship extends from international to region is important for a country to develop especially in Healthcare. 2023 stands as a significant year in India’s diplomatic and strategic journey .G20 in a presidency to articulate and influence collective health agendas, emphasizing a holistic approach that seamlessly integrates traditional medical wisdom with modern healthcare practices. India’s approach underscored the importance of leveraging collaborations, fostering partnerships, and ensuring that global health responses are synergized and not siloed. The allocation of the first-ever malaria vaccine to African countries is an initiative for this(Kurian, 2023).

//www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/india76-in-the-global-health-landscape/ ‌" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kurian, O. C. (2023, August 14). India@76 in the global health landscape: Leadership, potential, and prudence. ORF; Observational Research Foundation. //www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/india76-in-the-global-health-landscape/ ‌