Capacity Building on Health Diplomacy

Capacity building on health diplomacy is important because health issues today go beyond national borders. Problems like pandemics, climate change, migration, and access to medicines require countries to work together. Health diplomacy helps public health professionals, diplomats, and policymakers negotiate and cooperate to improve global health outcomes. Building capacity in health diplomacy means developing skills such as negotiation, communication, understanding international health laws, and policy analysis. Training programs, workshops, and interdisciplinary education can help professionals better represent health interests in global forums like the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN). This is especially important for low- and middle-income countries, where stronger health diplomacy can improve access to funding, technology, and essential medicines. Overall, strengthening capacity in health diplomacy leads to better global cooperation, stronger health systems, and more equitable health policies across countries.

References:

• Kickbusch, I., Silberschmidt, G., & Buss, P. (2007). Global health diplomacy: The need for new perspectives, strategic approaches and skills in global health.
• Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 85(3), 230–232. World Health Organization. (2016). Global Health Diplomacy. WHO.
• Lee, K., & Smith, R. (2011). What is “global health diplomacy”? A conceptual review. Global Health Governance, 5(1), 1–12.

According to the Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization, “Health is a complete state of physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (1). To achieve this goal, health has to be looked at from a variety of perspectives among the multitude of factors that influence health. The high burden of preventable diseases in poor countries calls for strategic planning and investment across health and health-related sectors to improve the lives of poor people in particular, and to promote socioeconomic development in general (2). Inadequate allocations and other system constraints impede the efforts at global and national levels. There is a growing realization in the current globalized world that health issues cannot be resolved by the health sector alone. Some health problems need political negotiations and solutions, for example, stopping hostility towards immunization, involving the non-health sector in addressing noncommunicable diseases and access to drugs and technology. The broad political, social and economic implications of health issues have brought more diplomats into the health arena and more public health experts into the world of diplomacy, thus giving birth to the notion of health diplomacy (3). Hence, health professionals, advocates, managers, policy-makers and researchers must deliberate about health, considering all other factors and elements that account for and contribute towards this notion (4). Diplomats and governmental officials, while engaging in high-level diplomatic dialogues, must position health at the centre within their discourses on foreign policies, trade and economic policies, macroeconomic frameworks, poverty reduction strategies, global environmental changes, and exchange of technology (5). Health system goals necessitate broader efforts today, and cannot await mere advancement in the field of medicine alone. It has become important to negotiate health beyond the health sector at local (between departments), regional (between neighbouring countries/cross border) and, more importantly, global levels. When countries face human-made and natural crises, the right to health and social justice is compromised. Health diplomacy in such situations opens avenues for humanitarian assistance across borders. For instance, International Health Regulations (IHR) endeavour to make the world a safer place by mustering national commitments to prevent spread of diseases across borders (6). Present-day public health professionals are expected to carry a worldly and humanitarian vision, concerned with the global public good, and to be seasoned natural diplomats possessing cultural awareness, sophisticated demeanour, and essential diplomacy skills (7). The
World Health Organization (WHO), realizing this need, organized its first training course in 2012 on health diplomacy for the executives of health ministries and foreign offices, and this has continued on an annual basis.

References 

1. Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York,
19–22 June, 1946, entered into force on 7 April 1948. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1948.
2. Increasing investments in health outcomes for the poor. 2nd consultation on macroeconomics and health. Geneva: World Health
Organization; 2003 ( //apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/42961/9241591722.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y, accessed 31
July 2018).
3. Kickbusch I, Silberschmidt G, Buss P. Global health diplomacy: the need for new perspectives, strategic approaches and skills in
global health. Bull World Health Organ. 2007 Mar;85(3):230–2. //doi.org/10.2471/BLT.06.039222 PMID:17486216
4. McClintock E. Global governance and health: equipping developing countries with the tools to better manage the global health
diplomacy process [thesis]. Medford, MA: The Fletcher School, Tufts University; 2011.
5. Chan M, Støre JG, Kouchner B. Foreign policy and global public health: working together towards common goals. Bull World
Health Organ. 2008 Jul;86(7):498. //doi.org/10.2471/BLT.08.056002 PMID:18670654
6. International Health Regulations. Second edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2005 ( //www.who.int/
ihr/9789241596664/en/, accessed 31 July 2018).
7. Kevany S. James Bond and global health diplomacy. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2015 Sep 23;4(12):831–4. //doi.org/10.15171/
ijhpm.2015.172 PMID:26673467

As the Admin member mentions, the nature of health is borderless. In this context, I would like to discuss the health of the migrants and refugees. Refugees and migrants remain among the most vulnerable members of society. Today, there are some 1 billion migrants globally, about 1 in 8 of the global population(World, 2019). These include 281 million international migrants and 82.4 million forcibly displaced (48 million internally displaced, 26.4 million refugees, 4.1 million asylum seekers)(| UNHCR, 2025)

• Human Rights: Grounded in principles of non-discrimination and the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
• Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Aiming for equal inclusion in health systems for refugees, migrants, and host populations.
• Intersectoral Collaboration: Promoting partnerships across sectors, countries, and agencies. (WHO Global Action Plan on Promoting the Health of Refugees and Migrants | Global Forum on Migration and Development, 2024)

In 2020, the WHO established the Health and Migration Programme (PHM) to provide global leadership in health and migration issues in the context of the WHO’s own Global Action Plan: Promoting the health of refugees and migrants 2019–23.

Capacity building in Health Diplomacy is increasingly recognized as a vital instrument for addressing the complex, transboundary health challenges faced by migratory populations. As global migration reaches record levels—driven by conflict, climate change, and economic disparity—the health of displaced persons can no longer be managed solely through domestic policy. One of the articles I came across, "The paper "Capacity building on health diplomacy: a training experience from Pakistan," structured a training program to enhance the capacity of the health professionals, providing a foundational case study for how structured educational interventions can bridge the gap between foreign policy and public health. The paper emphasizes training that enables "political consultations, diplomatic negotiations, and cross-border solutions." This is critical for migrants who require continuous care (e.g., for TB or HIV) as they move across borders. Who has executed a framework for capacity building for Health Systems in Emergencies  (HSE), which is a strategic initiative that aims to explore innovative ways to foster health system resilience, especially in the context of fragile and conflict-affected settings. It aims to achieve its objectives by integrating the work of the WHO’s health system development and health emergency programmes.

Another take on this context is the Rabat Declaration (adopted in June 2023 at the Third Global Consultation on the Health of Refugees and Migrants) is a landmark political commitment signed by 48 countries. It provides a strategic roadmap for capacity building to ensure that migratory populations are no longer excluded from national health systems. A breakthrough in the declaration is the pledge to recognize the professional health certifications of refugees and migrants. This allows displaced health professionals (doctors, nurses, etc.) to contribute to the host country's workforce, addressing local shortages while providing culturally competent care.(Rabat Declaration Adopted to Improve Refugee and Migrant Health, 2024)

1. //www.who.int/health-topics/refugee-and-migrant-health#tab=tab_1 ‌" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World. (2019, December 20). Refugee and migrant health - Global. Who.int; World Health Organization: WHO. //www.who.int/health-topics/refugee-and-migrant-health#tab=tab_1 ‌
2. //www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics#_ftn1 ‌" target="_blank" rel="noopener">| UNHCR. (2025). UNHCR. //www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics#_ftn1 ‌
3. //www.gfmd.org/pfp/ppd/18771#:~:text=The%20World%20Health%20Organization%20(WHO)%20adopted%20the,of%20refugee%20and%20migrant%20women%20and%20girls** ‌" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WHO Global Action Plan on promoting the health of refugees and migrants | Global Forum on Migration and Development. (2024, March 18). Gfmd.org. //www.gfmd.org/pfp/ppd/18771#:~:text=The%20World%20Health%20Organization%20(WHO)%20adopted%20the,of%20refugee%20and%20migrant%20women%20and%20girls** ‌
4. //www.iom.int/news/rabat-declaration-adopted-improve-refugee-and-migrant-health ‌" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rabat Declaration Adopted to Improve Refugee and Migrant Health. (2024). International Organization for Migration. //www.iom.int/news/rabat-declaration-adopted-improve-refugee-and-migrant-health ‌