Issue Paper: Health Diplomacy
InsSciDE’s issue paper on health diplomacy was completed in June 2022. Read the summary below and delve into the full issue paper here!
Diseases are able to cross geographic and biological barriers with greater ease and speed than ever before. An intricate web of factors, from globalization to widespread environmental degradation, are changing the risk landscape of public health, with possible impacts extending far beyond human health. Economic, social and political implications are at stake on every scale, from local to global.
Addressing present and future health challenges with recognition for their boundary spanning nature requires connecting health sciences with international politics. Between these fields, there is a need to build up trust and communication channels, to foster understanding of the others’ practices and priorities and to establish mechanisms that enable inclusive knowledge exchange and more efficient coordination in emergencies.
The European Union (EU) is bolstering its role in public health in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Further enhancing cooperation on health challenges among EU member states and between the EU and the rest of the world will be key to being prepared for future health challenges.
Health diplomacy, the practice of converging public health fields and diplomacy, may provide a strategic starting point.