Viktor Liashko, Roman Isaienko, Volodymyr Korolenko. Report at the International conference on the occasion of World Health Day 2023 and the 75th anniversary of WHO. Kyiv, Ukraine, Apr 6th, 2023

1. GLOBAL HEALTH DIPLOMACY:
CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS
FOR UKRAINE
1Viktor Liashko MD, MPA, 2Roman Isaienko MD, MPA, 2Volodymyr Korolenko MD, MPA, DSc
1Ministry of Health of Ukraine
2State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control
2023

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3. The UN General Assembly
(resolution of Nov. 26, 2008,
A/RES/63/33)
• Recognizes the close
relationship between foreign policy
and global health and their
interdependence, and in that
regard also recognizes that global
challenges require concerted and
sustained efforts by the
international community
• Urges Member States to
consider health issues in the
formulation of foreign policy/ 3

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• Health diplomacy (Buss & Faid, 2013; Feldbaum & Michaud,
2010, Fidler, 2013)
• Global Health Diplomacy (Kickbusch, Silberschmidt, & Buss,
2007; Lee & Smith, 2011; Ruckert, Labonté, Lencucha, Runnels, &
Gagnon, 2016)
• Global health public diplomacy or public diplomacy
in global health (Ornstein, 2015),
• Medical diplomacy (Bourne, 1978),
• Disease diplomacy (Davies, Kamradt-Scott, & Rushton, 2015),
• Global health and diplomacy (Watt, Gomez, &
McKee, 2014),
• Regional health diplomacy (Gyngell & Wesley, 2008;
Hamzawi, 2008; Herrero & Tussie, 2015)
• and others.
Global Health Diplomacy (GHD)
The term “global health diplomacy”
aims to capture these multi-level and
multi-actor negotiation processes that
shape and manage the global policy
environment for health.
Kickbusch I., Silberschmidt G., Buss P. Global health
diplomacy: the need for new perspectives, strategic
approaches and skills in global health. Bulletin of the
World Health Organization, 2007, 85(3).
Definitions are not yet fully established:

5. Healthcare facilities:
 completely destroyed 174
 seriously damaged 1,106
exceeded USD 1.5 billion 30% of the territory are mined
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6. •Upholding health interests in the face of geopolitical, ideological, or national interests, which might stand in
the way of solutions that benefit all countries, especially in terms of global health diplomacy at WHO, which
sets global norms and standards
Negotiating to promote health in the face of other interests
•Creating new organisations in response to health challenges, or new governance models within
intergovernmental organisations
Establishing new governance mechanisms in support of health
•Forming alliances for mutual benefits or to achieve some common purpose, including political alliances using a
system of bloc politics, or coming together as a regional group (eg, the EU and the Common Market), within
which there is consensus on defending a common position in negotiations or votes
Creating alliances in support of health outcomes
•Global health diplomacy increasingly requires establishing and maintaining relationships with a wide array of
actors in the global health arena, including a special relationship with key donors, which might be countries,
private foundations, or other organisations or individuals
Building and managing donor and stakeholder relations
•As global interdependence and integration increase, health diplomacy is used increasingly often in dealing with
public health crises in times of heightened threat and uncertainty
Responding to public health crises
•Supporting health programmes has been one common way to increase political reputation, improve relations
with other states and actors, and help build alliances
Improving relations between countries through health
•Efforts to mitigate the effects of armed conflict on health, such as negotiating ceasefires to allow immunization
campaigns or other health interventions to take place
Contributing to peace and security
Seven dimensions of global health diplomacy
Kickbusch I, Liu A. Global health diplomacy-reconstructing power and governance. Lancet. 2022 Jun 4
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7. Communications
ministers of health of the partner states:
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• France
• Greece
• Germany
• Poland
• Romania
• United Kingdom
• USA
leadership of
• WHO
• UNICEF
• Pharmaceutical Inspection
Co-operation Scheme,
PIC/S
• other influential
international organizations
and foreign countries
• provision of specialized assistance to Ukraine
• elimination of the possibility of the spread of russian influence
• exclusion of the russian federation from international
agreements and alliances
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8. In September 2022 the Minister of Health of Ukraine was elected to the WHO Executive
Board from the subregional group C of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe for a three-
year term (from May 2023 to May 2026) for subsequent election at the 76th World Health
Assembly (May 2023).
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9.  Since the 172nd meeting of the European
Pharmacopoeia Commission (March 22-23, 2022)
the russian delegation has no right to participate in their
meetings.
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The PIC/S Secretariat
confirmed its support for the
Ukrainian position regarding the
suspension of consideration of
the russian application for
membership.
PIC/S countries
*Ukraine – since 2011
(simultaneously with USA)

10. UNITED24 - the initiative of the
President of Ukraine:
• more than UAH 1 billion was
raised for health care needs
• more than 9,000 units of
medical and other equipment
and transport were purchased
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11. more than 30 countries of the
world, from international
organizations, business
representatives and medical
institutions of other countries
10,500 tons of medical
products
total amount of
UAH 12.8 billion
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12. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine
and the European Commission have
organized the medical evacuation of
more than 2,600 Ukrainians
• 186 health care facilities have
been completely rebuilt
• 297 are in the process of
being rebuilt
International aid:
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13. Decree of the
President of
Ukraine No.
369/2021 of
18.08.2021
WHO and EU
strategic
documents
the best
practices of
the EU
countries,
Great Britain,
USA
Strategy for the
Development of
the Health Care
System until
2030
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