Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/who-together-science-and-health-informa...
Dear HIFA colleagues,
I mentioned in my previous message that we would discuss the issues raised in the WHO webinar on 7 October, which presented the new initiative, Together for Science and Health, to HIFA and other non-State actors working in official relations with WHO. The initiative formally launches on 10 November. These reflections below aim to open discussion here on HIFA.
The webinar was recorded and is available here: https://who.zoom.us/rec/share/xhSE3Bc7YxCerSjCHkCxVuNgwTFlcx2lo1dO8okSAW...
Passcode: !ZH@gR6g
I especially recommend the first 10 minutes where ADG Dr Sylvie Briand introduces the initiative with a short PPT presentation.
Together for Science and Health is described as 'A global movement to shape the science that better serves society and advances health for all'. We/HIFA would see this as an opportunity for WHO to be more specific and declare that WHO is championing universal access to reliable healthcare information - a world where every person will have access to the reliable healthcare information they need to protect their own health and the health of others. This was the key recommendation from our HIFA Global Consultation (2024) - such political support would be a game-changer. Hopefully the goal and vision of the initiative will be clarified over the coming weeks.
I was able to make a short intervention at the very end of the webinar: "I am Neil Pakenham-Walsh, coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All). We would like to collaborate with this initiative. HIFA is a global movement working for a future where every person in the world has access to the information they need to protect their own health and the health of others. We are 20,000 members in 180 countries, in official relations with WHO. Our approach is to strengthen the global evidence ecosystem [ www.hifa.org/ecosystem ], which we originally described in The Lancet in 2004. We were very happy to see WHO's launch of the Global Coalition for Evidence in 2024, which is also working to strengthen the global evidence ecosystem. I don't think I've heard much about the ecosystem in this webinar and I would like to ask how this aspect will be integrated into Together for Science and Health."
On the basis of all my experience in this field, I am convinced that there is a need for a whole-systems approach to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information.
Please email your comments to: hifa@hifaforums.org
Many thanks, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org