Global Health: Advocacy and Diplomacy in Action
This course is complete. Registration for the 2024 edition is closed.
Registration for the 2025 edition opens in January 2025.
WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The worsening climate, food, economic and political crises, disrupt our lives in new ways and further expose and increase societal vulnerabilities. Policymakers must skill up to navigate complex ecosystems characterized by poly-crises, rising inequities and a degrading environment.
As a result, new ways of understanding and working in global health policy, advocacy and diplomacy are needed by those who work in health or those who work in fields that will be affected by decisions or impacts from the health sector.
It is a key year for health governance, given all countries are discussing a possible legally binding pandemic treaty, a new set of commitments for Universal Health Coverage and reviewing progress at the halfway point of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
This course focuses on the practice of global health policy, advocacy, and diplomacy at the global level and its interrelated impact at the regional and national levels. It will:
- Give a general introduction to policy and decision-making processes
- Examine the political and policy environment that surrounds the current global health ecosystem
- Outline decision-making structures in the global health diplomatic space including the World Health Assembly, G20, the UN General Assembly and more
- Show how to interpret and navigate health governance processes
- Interrogate advocacy work to understand the steps to success and how to draw lessons from failure
- Employ case studies to illustrate current issues and their related political and policy dynamics
- Build practical experience with role-playing diplomatic negotiations
- Introduce participants to major organizations with on-site visits and receive up-to-date learnings from key staff
COURSE STRUCTURE
Day 1 – Conceptual introduction: governance, public policy processes, challenges of decision-making and politics in global health
Day 2 – Advocacy & global health: the art of advocacy for global health linking theory and practice
Day 3 – Diplomacy & global health: ongoing diplomatic processes with simulation exercises and case studies
Day 4 – Complex policy ecosystems: navigating different actors and approaches with a visit to the Global Health Campus (eg. Gavi, Global Fund) and examples of specific policy themes (e.g. UHC, migration, pandemic instrument)
Day 5 – Future outlook: exploring new ways of interacting and influencing global health policy
METHODOLOGY
The methodology of the course is participatory and interactive. The methodology will be adapted to the course participants and will involve lectures with privileged access to speakers, analysis, peer learning, case studies, simulation exercises, role play, reflection sessions and other liberating structures methodology.
The venue of the course is at UNIGE premises but with some sessions held externally. The course is taught in English.
ASSIGNMENTS
For university students: 3 ECTS can be obtained through this course, requiring a short reflection on the learnings from the simulation exercise (500 words, mid-course) and on the takeaway messages from the course (500 words, end course). Please check with your university if they will be recognized at your institution.
CERTIFICATES
A certificate of completion will be issued to all participants who have followed the full five days. University students who also submitted the assignments will receive a certification of the 3 ECTS credits.
Please note that it is the student’s own responsibility to validate this course for credit at their home university prior to the summer school, as specified in our Terms & Conditions.
Junior Professionals: CHF 1,100
External students (*): CHF 900
UNIGE students (*): CHF 250
(*) Bachelor and master’s degree-seeking students and Ph.D. candidates only. The tuition fees for lifelong learning students are subject to employment status.
On-campus housing for the week of this course is complete.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 30 April 2024
Dr Michaela Told, Visiting Lecturer, Global Studies Institute, University of Geneva, Director of HI5 Governance
Susan Brown, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Women in Global Health
Speakers will be selected representatives from organisations such as WHO, IOM, MSF, Gavi, The Global Fund, Rollback Malaria, and Stop TP Partnership, as well as global health experts, academics and government representatives on specific topics.
TBA
Zane Šime, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2023 Edition
The Geneva Summer School "Global Health: Advocacy and Diplomacy in Action" offers a deep dive into the Geneva-centred global approach to health governance. This School offers nuanced insights into the unique intellectual ecosystem comprising the organisations and diverse entities involved in Geneva-based discussions, consultations, public outreach, and decision-making concerning global health governance.
Molly Biehl, University of Geneva, 2023 Edition
Even as a public health professional for more than a decade, there were new learnings and insights from the course that were new and thought-provoking; delivered in an extremely engaging forum.
Ana Carolina Santos, University Center of the State of Pará, 2023 Edition
l loved the course and learned a lot. I'm still doing my degree and with the course I was able to learn the technical vocabulary of the professional world, and l loved the subject
Ashish Jain, India, 2023 Edition
lt was one of the most exciting summer programs I have been to. Thanks to the best group of interdisciplinary experts who made this super insightful and engaging
Nishant Sirohi, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, 2023 Edition
The course provides a critical overview of the processes involved in global health advocacy and diplomacy within the context of a contemporary international institutional framework
Yvonne Rauner, Umit Tirol, Austria, 2023 Edition
A very valuable course that knows how to connect people from science and politics and shows them different ways to solve future global problems and having an impact.
Til Haenggi, University of Basel, 2023 Edition
The course has given us a theoretical, but above all practical insight into the complex work of negotiations. The lecturers, as well as the participants, have made a valuable contribution.
Carlotta Carboni, University of Marseille, 2023 Edition
An amazing opportunity to enter the world of Global Health and see how deeply it interacts with politics thanks to multiple speakers from different backgrounds.
Adam Lark, Bournemouth University, 2023 Edition
The amazing people, professors and guests created a brilliant atmosphere to develop my understanding of advocacy and diplomacy, skill l will keep with me throughout my education and career
Abdoulaye Imorou, Benin, 2023 Edition
This course allowed me to have a global vision on health. He taught me that health concerns all aspects of our lives.
Madeline Van Den, Leiden University, 2023 Edition
lt was a wonderful course! You get familiar with all the challenges but also benefits and rewarding aspects of advocacy and diplomacy in global health
Mohamed Akrout, Switzerland, 2023 Edition
lt is a great way get familiar with global health and the diplomatic world and getting a first-hand experience from professionals in the field.
Ann-Christin Wolf, Technische Hochschule Deggendorf, 2023 Edition
Having worked internationally only on a country level so far, the course has been really helpful to get insides into the headquarter and decision-making level.
Lydia Braunack Mayer, University of Basel, 2023 Edition
I will be sending every one of my colleagues to this course -there is no better way to see where a career in global health can take you
Walquiria Favero, Fundação Getúlio Vargas São Paulo, 2023 Edition
Thank you very much for the whole week! It was very thoughtful and provocative to understand more deeply how global health are linked to national politics! Great week!
Giorgia Rossi, Management Center Innsbruck, 2023 Edition
This course was as intensive as it was insightful. The range of speakers gave us a wide career and hands-on perspective. lt is a great start opportunity if you plan a career in global health
Marek Musil, MCI, Czech Republic, 2023 Edition
An eye-opening course that will surely have a positive impact on your future careers. Big thanks to the lecturers for their time and the work they have done during their careers
Anjali Sarah George, University of Amsterdam, 2023 Edition
The coordination of this course is wonderful. The speakers brought diverse perspectives to the discussion around advocacy and diplomacy. Would definitely recommend it!