Conflict, Militarism and Health – An Agenda for Action

Against the backdrop of increasing militarism and conflicts, and in light of the support of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the General Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), for peace and health activities, the session will explore the following aspects in relation to health:

1. The link between militarism, climate change and health, including: Climate change as a driver for conflict; Impact of conflict on climate change; Direct and indirect effects of war and climate change on health.

2. The enormous cost of war and diversion of resources to fuel it. The diversion of resources (including financial, human, intellectual, opportunity costs) impoverishes our abilities to address significant health problems and the ability to successfully address and resolve them.

3. The case for the development of a global conflict-health index to monitor progress.

4. The increasing and urgent need for the prevention of conflict in general and nuclear war in particular, stressing the potential catastrophic impact on health outcomes.