The IHPP Foundation delegation comprised Dr Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Dr Angkana Lekagul and Divya Lakhotia as trainers, as well as Natcha Kongam and Shaheer Aboobacker as participants. They provided an overview of health diplomacy and discussed key trends and issues shaping global health. These included the paralysis of multilateral institutions, declining development assistance for health, economic fragmentation, climate change, technological advances and rapid demographic and epidemiological transitions. They also discussed reforms to the global health architecture and the roles of key actors working to address global health challenges through new structures and mechanisms. Participants were guided on how to prepare interventions and were mentored in the art of negotiation. One key lesson from the discussion was the importance of negotiating based on interests rather than positions, while working towards a consensus that is practical and acceptable to all parties.
The Programme
The 5-day programme provided an overview of global health, current discussions on global health reform and the role of health diplomacy. It also strengthened participants’ understanding of how health policies are negotiated and implemented through global health platforms. Through real-world examples and group simulation exercises based on discussions at the World Health Assembly and similar platforms, the programme helped them improve their negotiation skills and gain a better understanding of global health diplomacy in practice.
Each day covered a specific aspect of global health. The first day provided an overview of global health diplomacy and the actors involved. The second day elaborated on how diplomacy is practised through negotiations and interventions. Day three focused on cross-cultural communication and collaboration, the importance of such engagement and how it helps create a bridge between countries for better diplomatic relations. On the fourth day, participants visited the United Nation offices in China and the Gates foundation, followed by a discussion on how geopolitics plays a crucial role in shaping global health policies. The final day focused on the future of health diplomacy in a diverse world. Professor Ren concluded the programme by presenting four possible scenarios for the future of global health diplomacy: unity in polycrisis; solation and distrust; the rise of regional coalitions; and increased involvement of non-state actor.
IHPP Foundation's Contribution
Impact & Moving Forward
The IHPP Foundation delegation comprised Dr Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Dr Angkana Lekagul and Divya Lakhotia as trainers, as well as Natcha Kongam and Shaheer Aboobacker as participants. They provided an overview of health diplomacy and discussed key trends and issues shaping global health. These included the paralysis of multilateral institutions, declining development assistance for health, economic fragmentation, climate change, technological advances and rapid demographic and epidemiological transitions. They also discussed reforms to the global health architecture and the roles of key actors working to address global health challenges through new structures and mechanisms. Participants were guided on how to prepare interventions and were mentored in the art of negotiation. One key lesson from the discussion was the importance of negotiating based on interests rather than positions, while working towards a consensus that is practical and acceptable to all parties.
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