ABSTRACT
Global health, as a field of research and practice, is increasingly focused on reducing health inequities and promoting equity. In this introductory chapter, we situate this growing emphasis on issues of equity in broader sociopolitical contexts and trends and challenges. Despite widely held commitments and declarations about the importance of equity action in global health, inequities persist and were worsened over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that while priorities established by universities, funding agencies and governance bodies, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization, reinforce the interest in equity, their normative structures and practices often undermine efforts to advance equity. This chapter sets the stage for those that follow, emphasizing the importance of equipping people with the knowledge, capacity and tools to move equity intentions into meaningful action. We describe the CCGHR Principles for Global Health Research as one such tool that offers potential for strengthening knowledge and capacity, and offer a brief comment on this curated collection of examples of how the CCGHR Principles are being applied in a variety of settings.
