The authors of a February 2024 Bulletin of the World Health Organization article call for global health actors to challenge current forms of corporate and financialized colonialism that operate through globalized systems of wealth extraction and profiteering. They note that most of the current narrative on decolonization focuses on correcting power imbalances between health actors in high-income and low-income countries and on challenging ideas and values of some wealthy countries that shape the practice of global health. The authors of…
Tag: inequality
Defunding UNWRA in Gaza is ‘collective punishment’ – Lancet & Health Justice Organizations
Health and political leaders globally have condemned defunding of UNRWA, the principle lifeline for the people of Gaza. Sharmila Devi, in the current issue of Lancet, quotes UN leaders and aid agency leaders (including WHO) “no other entity has the capacity to deliver the scale and breadth of assistance that 2·2 million people in Gaza urgently need,” the cuts are “collective punishment,” and “if a teacher is found to be a murderer, we don’t get calls to defund the school…
Tim Schwab & “The Bill Gates Problem” Town Hall Seattle Podcast
Tim Schwab, author of the recently published “The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the myth of the good billionaire,” headlined a Seattle Town Hall event in December 2024 sponsored by the Community Alliance for Global Justice. In this podcast of the event, Tim explains how Bill Gates’ uses his foundation as a vehicle for unaccountable personal power and influence, using taxpayers dollars. He describes how dogmatic belief in the primacy of the private sector and their patent interests and the…
UN Tax Reform offers hope to Low Income Countries
In late November 2023, developing countries at the UN won a historic vote to set up a tax convention in spite of resistance from rich countries. This Guardian editorial (see below) explains how poor nations’ ability to feed, educate and provide healthcare to their people is hobbled by illicit and hidden movements of capital worth billions each year. The Tax Justice Network (also below) documents how countries around the world are losing US$480bn in tax a year to tax abuse, with…
Vaccine Milestone: South Africa Starts Local Meningitis Production
In a landmark move for public health and African pharmaceutical manufacturing, South Africa’s Biovac has entered into a strategic partnership with Korean vaccine producer, EuBiologics Co. Ltd., to commence the production of a meningitis vaccine on African soil. This collaboration represents a significant stride in the fight against meningococcal disease, an endemic threat in South Africa and across the sub-Saharan region. Meningococcal meningitis, a bacterial infection causing the inflammation of the brain and spinal cord membranes, poses a severe health…
Rewriting the Script of Global Health
In the heart of Rwanda, a pharmaceutical revolution is unfolding, disrupting a global health order long dominated by high-income nations. This bold move by a nation determined to chart its own course in healthcare sovereignty embodies the spirit of decolonizing global health. It serves as a testament to the possibility of a world where equity in health is not just an aspirational goal but an actionable reality. This narrative of empowerment and systemic change ignites the conversation around decolonizing global…
Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationwide
¡Victoria! Wave High the Green Bandanas! Years of concerted action by reproductive rights activists in Mexico have just gained a huge win. “Today is the day of victory and justice for Mexican women!” declared Mexico’s National Institute for Women. “No woman or pregnant person, nor any health worker, will be able to be punished for abortion,” proclaimed the Information Group for Chosen Reproduction, GIRE, which filed the suit. The judgment means that the country’s federal public health service and any…
Are we training students to be white saviors in global health?
Ananya Tina Banerjee and co-authors just published an excellent piece in The Lancet on white saviorism in global health. They remind us that global health leadership and power continues to be dominated by the global north – and that 85% of all global health organizations are headquartered in Europe and North America. They point out that, despite our decolonizing efforts, that there is limited discussion of acknowledging the colonial foundations of global health or the need for reparations for colonial…
[BOOKS] on Decolonization
Here are book recommendations on decolonizing the global health space: “Wretched of the Earth” by Frantz Fanon (1961) Fanon’s seminal work on decolonization explores the psychological and sociopolitical effects of colonialism, offering critical insights into the process of liberation and self-determination. “The Colonizer and the Colonized” by Albert Memmi (1957) Memmi’s analysis delves into the complex dynamics between colonizers and the colonized, providing a nuanced examination of power and resistance during the process of decolonization. “Black Skin, White Masks”…
[BOOKS] on Phantom Aid
“Phantom Aid” refers to the phenomenon where foreign aid is promised but not effectively delivered, often due to corruption, mismanagement, or other systemic issues. Here are recommended books to explore the topic more: “The White Man’s Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States” by Winthrop D. Jordan (1974) This seminal work offers crucial historical context on how racial perceptions have influenced foreign aid efforts, providing a foundation for understanding the complexities of aid dynamics. “Dead Aid: Why…