7/28/2019 Teaming up to influence global health policy

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EFFECT | spring 2007 European Foundation Centre | www.efc.be

The European Commission and theWorld Health Organization (WHO)

have both taken on board a policy

document on global health created

by the European Partnership for

Global Health (EPGH), a European

Foundation Centre (EFC) member-led

initiative. European Perspectives

on Global Health: A Policy Glossary

sets out a comprehensive framework

for a possible European agenda and

strategy on global health.

I very much welcome the Glossary,says Robert Madelin, Director-General

for Health and Consumer Protection

at the Commission. It identifies and

explains the global health challenges we

are facing in a very clear and objective

way, and provides an excellent basis

for further discussion on how to tackle

these challenges For the Commission

it is important to get input to the new

Health Strategy from a broad range of

stakeholders, including foundations,

many of whom are very active in the

health sector. The Glossary is a veryvaluable contribution in this process.

The EU is increasingly being called

upon to show leadership in shaping this

agenda beyond its borders, which is

why global health will be a key element

in the new Health Strategy to be

adopted by the Commission this year.

Indeed, the Global Health Policy

Glossary aims to serve as a catalyst

for engagement and action by a

variety of European stakeholders to

promote the global health agenda,and as a framework for dialogue and

collaboration.

Designed to inform policy deliberations

in the wider political, social and

economic spheres, the Glossary calls for

a European strategy for global health.

Foundations can be crucial players and

valuable partners in advancing the

global health agenda and in helping to

shape policy in this field.

In response to the new global healthchallenges, the WHO is strengthening

its collaboration with the EU and

its institutions, in particular the

Commission, Presidency and Parliament.

A new WHO strategy on cooperation

with the EU for the period 2006-2015

is under development. WHO-EU

strategic cooperation needs to be

further scaled up. It is an opportune

moment, says Susanne Weber-

Mosdorf, Assistant Director-General for

Sustainable Development and Healthy

Environments at the WHO.

Weber-Mosdorf sees the Glossary

as a useful document that sets out

the challenges in global health. She

believes the document will raise

awareness about these challenges and

the need for inter-sectoral collaboration

to tackle them. Moreover, she notes

that the glossary is a starting point

for dialogue between actors involvedin global health, including WHO and

foundations.

On January 15th 2007, the day the

Glossary was first presented to Geneva-

based international organisations

and the diplomatic, academic andfoundation communities, EPGH

representatives met with Weber-

Mosdorf as a first step towards

establishing such a dialogue with the

WHO. Weber-Mosdorf recognised the

important role foundations can play

in shaping policy and supporting pilot

initiatives to identify new approaches

to global health issues, thanks to their

independence, convening power and

ability to invest for the long term.Madelin stresses that stakeholder

participation is a core principle of

good governance at both the EU and

global levels: Foundations are key

actors in health policy, through funding

initiatives and policy dialogue, and we

value their contribution. They have an

important role to play, particularly in

raising awareness and mobilising actors

involved in global health. Only with a

joint effort will we make global health a

priority on the international agenda.

The Glossary maps the many

dimensions of global health, the major

players involved, and the steps that have

been taken, as well as gaps that need to

be addressed. It provides foundations

and their partners with a handy road

map for action as part of a European

strategy for global health. It is hoped

that foundations will get more engaged

with global health issues, and closer

and more long-term collaboration

between foundations and international

institutions, such as the EuropeanCommission and the WHO, will become

a cornerstone of global health policy at

the European level. The EFCs EPGH is

keen to work with the foundation sector

and these institutions to strengthen

such collaboration.

Nyegosh Dube, EFC

The Glossary was commissioned by

the EFC European Partnership for

Global Health and produced by a

group of global health experts from

Europe, Africa, and the Americas,

with the support of Fundao Calo-

uste Gulbenkian, The Nuffield Trust,

Stiftelsen Riksbankens Jubileums-

fond, and the Universal Education

Foundation.

To download the glossary,

go to: w ww.efc.be/4209

7HDPLQJXSWRLQXHQFHJOREDOKHDOWKSROLF\

For the Commission it is

important to get input to

the new Health Strategy

from a broad range of

stakeholders, including

foundations.

Robert Madelin, European Commission

MAKING IT WORK TOGETHER0