WHO Global Health and Peace Initiative (GHPI)

Introduction

Health and peace are interrelated. 80% of WHO’s humanitarian caseload and 70% of disease outbreaks that WHO responds to, take place in fragile and conflict-affected situations. Armed conflict can lead to the disruption of health systems, the collapse of essential medical supply chains, an exodus of health care workers, attacks on health care and/or upsurges in epidemics and starvation – ultimately impacting lives and livelihoods.  In the words of the Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros, “there cannot be health without peace, and there cannot be peace without health”.

WHO’s Global Health and Peace Initiative (GHPI) was launched by WHO in November 2019 to respond to this challenging global context and following extensive consultations led by the Sultanate of Oman and Switzerland, in collaboration with WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO).

The GHPI aims to strengthen or improve the role of WHO and the health sector as contributors to improving the prospects for peace – for example, by implementing health programs with increased conflict-sensitivity, and where appropriate, contributing to strengthening dialogue, social cohesion or resilience to violence. The ultimate objective in doing so is to better protect the health of populations, especially (but not only) in fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable settings.

It pursues this goal by advocating programs to follow the ‘Health and Peace Approach' to programming.  As described in this approach, if WHO programming is ‘conflict sensitive’, we will better mitigate the risk of doing unintentional harm to peace and conflict dynamics and populations living in complex and fragile settings. Moreover, if communities are engaged in the design, delivery and/or implementation of healthcare, it may help to enhance community acceptance and ownership of health services. This may in turn contribute to proactive protection of health resources by communities, which could lead to safe access to health care for those who need it. If we pursue appropriate peace outcomes where it is safe and feasible to do so, it will create more space for healthcare and enable healthcare to reach marginalized and difficult to access populations.

Why is WHO linking health and peace?

The Initiative falls within WHO’s mandate and is built on WHO’s foundational documents. WHO’s Constitution recognizes that “the health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security”. With its emphasis on strengthening Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the rebuilding or strengthening of inclusive health care systems, the GHPI contributes to WHO’s Triple Billion Targets, which foresee 1 billion more people benefitting from UHC, better protected from health emergencies, and enjoying better health and well-being.

At global policy level, the Global Health and Peace Initiative is also WHO’s contribution to the United Nations Sustaining Peace Resolutions (A/RES/70/262 and S/RES/2282) which request all parts of the UN family and the World Bank to use their influence for mediation, conflict prevention and conflict resolution. It also furthers the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus by reinforcing the key role of health as a driver of peace and sustainable development. In addition, with the emphasis on community ownership and empowerment, the Initiative reinforces WHO’s commitment to and implementation of Localization.

WHO’s work in linking health and peace also contributes to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an integrated manner and the 2023 UN Secretary General’s New Agenda for Peace, which makes a renewed call to implement the SDGs. SDG number 3 on health and wellbeing, recognizes that “risks to health and well-being, especially maternal and child health, are significantly aggravated in settings affected by conflict and other forms of organized violence. Conflict and violence also have significant negative effects on mental health”.

GHPI Workstreams

The Global Health and Peace Initiative is made up of six workstreams:

• Evidence generation through research and analysis;
• Development of a strategic and operational framework;
• Advocacy and awareness-raising;
• Capacity-building;
• Partnership development; and
• Mainstreaming of the Health and Peace Approach.

The mainstreaming of the Health and Peace Approach is pivotal in the pursuit of the Initiative’s aim of strengthening or improving the role of WHO and the health sector in contributing to improving the prospects for peace. It is the primary workstream under which the Global Health and Peace Initiative can be operationalized in WHO’s work.

These six workstreams provide the structure for a Roadmap on the GHPI that WHO has developed in consultation with Member States and other stakeholders.