Global Health Diplomacy

Global health diplomacy is an interdisciplinary field that bridges global public health, international relations, and multisectoral public policy with a goal to achieve global health. It enables global cooperation to promote health and manage a range of global health threats, such as noncommunicable and infectious diseases, climate change, environment health, food security, and persistent health inequities, to name a few. While health is not always on the agenda of other sectors, there has been increasing recognition of its significance across other domains. Health is influenced by complex social, economic, and political landscapes, demonstrating the importance of global health diplomacy now more than ever. Global events and initiatives, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Paris Climate Agreement, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and the International Health Regulations, illustrate the multitude of issues and instruments used in global health diplomacy, requiring complex interactions between various sectors and state and nonstate actors. Coordinated action for health requires collaboration at all levels of governance inclusive of regional, bilateral, and multilateral alliances. This not only requires policy coherence and coordination between sovereign states but also among other major global players such as civil society organizations and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, as well as public-private partnerships. Furthermore, to effectively manage these global health threats and promote health and health equity worldwide, it is necessary for foreign diplomats to recognize and navigate the intersections of health with other sectors. Considering other non-health-related disciplines such as the impact of economics, trade, and social influences on global health, there have also been calls for the inclusion of multisectoral approaches to global health diplomacy. As a global health leader, it can be difficult to navigate these complex conditions. An understanding of the fundamentals of diplomacy and global health governance is needed to effectively negotiate health processes. However, this is not always straight forward, as health diplomats must also consider the foreign political interests of their allies to effectively integrate health and promote coherence across foreign policy agreements in alignment with global health goals. Diplomats play a vital role in the formation of global partnerships, and while the importance of health is becoming more relevant to diplomats today, the need for global health leaders with diplomacy skills is essential to facilitate global cooperation and policy coherence for global health.