Health diplomacy: Strengthening the international relations offices of health ministries of the Americas

Abstract

Given the international dimensions of the social, economic, and environmental determinants of health and their manifestations, countries are increasingly negotiating with each other and actively participating in global health governance and global governance in general, which is unequivocally linked to health. This implies that health ministries need trained staff. This report is a reflection on how to strengthen this function in health ministries through training in health diplomacy. It analyzes the experience of the Program for Strengthening Cooperation for Health Development as part of Cooperation among Countries for Health Development (CCHD), developed by the Department of External Relations, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization of the Pan American Health Organization and the Center for International Relations in Health of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (CRS/FIOCRUZ). This analysis is based on feedback from participants and from facilitators and coordinators of CCHD, and it attempts to develop concepts stemming from their experiences, with the aim of explaining the current situation and reflect on the concepts and practices of health governance and cooperation between health ministries. Since health diplomacy is a concept still in construction, training experiences in health diplomacy should promote critical analysis and reflect identity, based on the conceptions and practices of stakeholders in the processes of global governance and cooperation between health ministries. This article also identifies the requirements and processes of human resources training in health diplomacy.