*GHL 01 – Breaking Down the Global Health Divide

The debate around the fragmentation of the Global Health Architecture, including financing, has been high on the international agenda for many years. Despite efforts for better coordination, fragmentation is an enduring feature of the global health landscape, and new initiatives keep on emerging, arguably revealing the limits of the architecture. Fragmentation and inefficiencies within the current system, and priority setting that does not always align with collective and national health needs hinder advancing health outcomes and equity as well as getting the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track. On the other hand, the diversity of actors is partly considered to be an advantage for global health, since it might have a positive effect on their modernization and competitiveness.

The repercussions of the COVID-19 Pandemic had created momentum for strengthening the architecture, including a key coordinating role for the World Health Organization (WHO). Strengthening WHO’s function, underpinned by effective financing has been presented as part of the solution to overcome the fragmented landscape. The adoption of the Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GWP14) and the upcoming first investment round are important steps towards this transformation.

In light of shrinking financial resources and increasing demand for health services due to conflicts, climate change, pandemics, and demographic shifts, bold and comprehensive efforts to address the fragmented Global Health Architecture seem more crucial than ever. In a year marked by various replenishment rounds and pledging conferences from international organizations, the participants in the session will critically examine the current Global Health Architecture and discuss solutions for an effective architecture that can address multiple health threats and achieve better outcomes.