Closing the gap between words in declarations and national action for gender equity in global health When we were offered the opportunity, as national chapter members of Women in Global Health, to represent our movement at the UN General Assembly, we accepted without hesitation. It’s both humbling and inspiring to stand before global leaders a...

Sanctions are political and economic measures that are part of the political and diplomatic response against states or organizations that threaten international law. They are meant to restore international law, promote peace and security, discourage human rights violations, and put an end to extremist behavior. Sanctions can be imposed by states...

Global health continues to take a page out of capitalism’s less flattering playbook; it’s hard to ignore the immense wealth in just a few pockets. This brings to mind the world of elite sporting leagues, such as the English Premier League (EPL). In 2020, the EPL generated a staggering 7.6 billion British pounds in revenue, surpassing the GDP of ...

“Let’s remember that trust is restored when ordinary people feel the tangible benefits of policies designed to protect their lives and livelihoods.” Hans Kluge, WHO The theme of this year’s World Health Summit (WHS), which took place from the 15th to 17th October, 2023 in Berlin, could not have been more appropriate for our (dire) times:...

The WHO Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel aims to promote ethical norms and principles to guide the international recruitment of health workers. In this blog I explore why the implementation and regulation of the WHO Code of Practice has been ineffective so far. In 2010, the WHO introduced a set of ethical nor...

Mental health is increasingly gaining attention in the global health spaces, although there is clearly still (way) more effort needed to combat it. Each year a celebration of World Mental Health day is organized to raise awareness around this important issue. The World Health Organization defines mental health as state of wellbeing that enables ...

Time flies when you’re having fun, it’s already over 1.5 years since I started providing support to the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Through this role at UN Women, I work closely with governments, the private sector, civil society and youth-led organizations, it’s re...

Health inequities are significantly driven by social processes such as stigma, prejudice, discrimination, social exclusion, and marginalization. Yet, until the first half of the 20th century, these processes were rarely considered while explaining differences in health outcomes. The second half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of an un...

I ‘ve just been to a place that not only dealt with a war in the nineties, but in more recent times also with an earthquake,  flooding  ( in 2020 and again in 2023), a summer storm that damaged 10.000 trees, a heatwave, the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as economic instability and inflation. The country  also introduced the Euro this year – ano...