On January 16th-18th, IPI hosted a small, high-level retreat on the rising importance of global health issues on the international foreign policy agenda.

The event was part of a series of workshops and meetings of the seven countries of the Global Health and Foreign Policy Initiative–Brazil, France, Indonesia, Norway, Senegal, South Africa and Thailand–which aims to raise the profile of health issues on the global foreign policy agenda.

The IPI retreat, hosted at Greentree Foundation Conference Centre in New York, presented an opportunity for the representatives of the Initiative to meet and brainstorm together with eminent outside experts from the academic community and the United Nations. Specific themes included the indirect costs to human health of war and conflict; public health priorities on the development agenda; safe use of biotechnology, bio-development, and biosecurity; human resources for health; health initiatives as a bridge for peace; and the role of health in UN humanitarian response and peace operations.