Session 4

Health diplomacy at a crossroads

The EU Global Health Strategy leading the way

Co-organised by the WHO Office to the European Union and the European Public Health Alliance

Global health diplomacy becomes central to health governance at global, regional and at country level, and is an integral part of health and foreign policy agendas. Health diplomacy can result in improved health outcomes at all levels, in greater equity and social cohesion, better relations and trust between parties, including in conflict situations, and a strengthened commitment of stakeholders to work together to improve health. It can tremendously reinforce a country’s leadership position on foreign affairs, bring important external visibility and build international alliances. These changes impact governments, civil society, and the private sector in global health.

The EU Global Health Strategy, launched in November 2022, is a game changer for priorities in global health and partnership working. As the main goal of global health diplomacy is to bring about achievable agreements in the interest of public health, practicing it successfully requires specific global health knowledge as well as diplomatic experience, practice, and competence.

This session aims to shape a common approach to global health diplomacy and set the tone of a new movement for it through an interactive debate on the next steps towards the implementation of the EU Global Health Strategy.