The European Union has evolved to become a key global health actor. This section provides and overview of its constitutional framework and its central institutions including the Council of Ministers, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, The European Council, the EU Member State Permanent Representations, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European External Action Service. The Council of Ministers: […]
Author: Global Health Europe
Civil society and global health
The term ‘civil society’ broadly refers to social relationships and organizations outside either state (government) functions, or market-based relations that define people simply as ‘consumers’ rather than more collectively, for example, as citizens, neighbours or colleagues. Civil society organizations constitute a broad grouping that incorporates formally organized non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including faith-based charities, health NGOs, philanthropic foundations, and academic […]
United Nations Organizations
The United Nations is an international organization, which was founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. The UN now has 192 member states. The central UN bodies (General Assembly, […]
Nation states as global health actors
Nation states play a central role in global governance for health. Their main role includes governance of their own health and care services, health protection, research and monitoring, and the management of the national and global impact of their policy actions. It is increasingly being realized that good governance of health necessarily requires attention to […]
Developing countries
In the 1950s and 1960s, the world could be divided, on the one hand, into a small group of rich ‘developed’ countries with functioning social welfare systems, small families and good health outcomes and a larger group of ‘developing’ countries with low incomes, poor education and health services, high birth rates, poor health and low […]
Over the past 20 years, organizations and networks among groups of countries have played an important role in global diplomacy. They are now increasingly important in establishing the context for policy on global issues including international financial stability and global health. Broadly speaking, these collectives can be identified as those supporting cooperation amongst industrialized countries, […]
Global governance
Governance describes how societies structure policy responses to the challenges they face. Governance involves government, but the two terms are not synonymous because governance often occurs outside the formal state-based institutional and legal arrangements that characterize governments. Thus, within nation states, regional and local government, and civil society and business institutions are recognized as playing […]
In summary, a European approach to global health must reflect European values for the protection and improvement of health as: a human right, a key to human security and development and a focus for global governance. A human right and associated European health values of: solidarity universality access to quality care equity (with special regard […]
This first section of the European global health policy glossary is intended to provide a basis for developing a joint programme for action and research on European values for global health. Contributions, corrections, links and updates are all welcome. The action and research issues raised include: assessment of the determinants of global health and their […]
Shaping the European approach
The European approach to global health has been shaped by three main developments: An increasing awareness of global responsibilities and obligations stimulated by global civil society (including radical social movements, different types of non-governmental organizations and religious groups). Health as a human right has been identified as one of the most important human rights and the importance […]