ABSTRACT
Global Health Initiatives or Global Health Partnerships constitute collaborative efforts to improve global health. Although often poorly conceived in terms of humanitarian activities, the initiatives hold promise in improving global health through the provision of essential resources (both material and non-material), most notably in resource-constrained settings. The chapter examines some major global health initiatives, including Roll Back Malaria, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and the Global Health Council. Despite the ongoing collaborations and achievements, the burden of disease is still unacceptably high in the Global South, which is the primary focus of the Initiatives. Several challenges embedded in the initiatives’ modes of operation stymie the achievement global health goals: Funding is often channeled poorly, organizational structures are overly dominating toward poorer regions, and a lack of transparency fosters mistrust and development of medical conspiracy theories among the populations the initiatives intend to help.
