ABSTRACT
Health issues have traditionally been seen as a domestic policy matter, yet increasingly they have been identified as global public challenges as the risk of diseases crossing borders grows. Starting well before health became a truly foreign policy priority, Wilton Park addressed challenges such as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDs) in 1990 and global pandemics at the turn of the millennium. Conferences on malaria, tuberculosis (TB), COVID-19 and building health systems followed. Building on the UK’s medical expertise, Wilton Park brought together global health experts, practitioners, policy makers, academics, pharmaceutical companies, campaigners and others to share, improve, and design domestic and international policies. A key conclusion was that a one-size-fits-all global approach will not work, so flexibility should be engineered into improved international co-ordination frameworks. Wilton Park’s meetings helped strengthen health systems providing ideas for significant improvements to healthcare and better responses to diseases through national and international partnerships.
