@lsehealthpolicy.bsky.social @lseglobalhealth.bsky.social

It is time for a World Health Assembly resolution on global health architecture reform - LSE Global Health Ahead of this week’s World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board meeting, Dr Arush Lal (Visiting Fellow, LSE Health) argues for the adoption of a resolution to support coordination of fragmented g...

What began as a crisis of resources now risks becoming a crisis of direction for global health governance.

My latest op-ed argues for the World Health Assembly to initiate a time-bound, member state-led process to unify fragmented global health architecture reforms.

blogs.lse.ac.uk/globalhealth...

📣New research in Health Policy & Planning by @arushlal.bsky.social examines how diplomacy & governance can build a more coherent global health architecture – through the lens of aligning GHS & UHC.

🔗 Read in full: bit.ly/4q4X1WV

Repairing Global Health Security at the Humanitarian Frontline | Think Global Health Reorienting the global preparedness system to include humanitarian settings requires conceptual and operational shifts

Repairing Global Health Security at the Humanitarian Frontline

Reorienting the global preparedness system to include humanitarian settings requires conceptual and operational shifts

@thinkglobalhealth.org

www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/repa...

Dr Arush Lal

Delighted to share that I’ve been appointed a Visiting Fellow @lsehealthpolicy.bsky.social!

I’ll be focusing on the politics of health diplomacy and global health architecture reform in an era of overlapping crises. 🌍

If this sounds interesting, let’s collaborate ⬇️

www.lse.ac.uk/people/dr-ar...

Elders’ Statement | 21.11.2025 Elders warn against bilateral pandemic deals that could impact multilateral cooperation

Elders’ Statement | 21.11.2025 “Parallel systems created through bilateral agreements should not undermine the foundations of global preparedness and response being built at the multilateral level. Once multilateralism is hollowed out, it is hard to rebuild...Decisions taken now will determine whether the world can build a future of shared safety and collective action, and whether all people are protected from pandemic threats.” Read in full via theelders.org

ELDERS’ STATEMENT | Elders warn against bilateral pandemic deals that could impact multilateral cooperation

Decisions taken now will determine whether all people are protected from pandemic threats.

Read the statement here:
theelders.org/news/elders-...

Elders’ Statement | 11.12.2025 Gaza “ceasefire” rings hollow as all Palestinians face security catastrophe

Elders’ Statement | 11.12.2025 ISRAEL/PALESTINE “Palestinians in Gaza have little sense that the ceasefire is working. Their suffering risks increasing even further if the current process fails. Without targeted measures against extremists on both sides, progress towards a just and lasting peace will remain out of reach.” Read in full via theelders.org

ELDERS’ STATEMENT | Gaza “ceasefire” rings hollow as all Palestinians face security catastrophe

“The Elders condemn Israel’s continued military attacks and obstruction of aid in Gaza, two months after the ceasefire agreed.”

Read the statement in full: theelders.org/news/gaza-ce...

Israeli troops kill six Palestinians sheltering in Gaza school, say hospital chiefs Attack brings total number of Palestinians killed by Israel to 401 since October ceasefire took effect

The Israeli military killed six Palestinians, including a baby, who were in a school that sheltered displaced people in Gaza City on Friday.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

This #UHCDay, @katribertram.bsky.social and I argue that UHC offers a unifying vision to underpin global health reform efforts — advancing sovereignty, equity & resilience.

Without shared direction, reform risks stalling in fragmentation and fatigue.

Our op-ed out now @ihpnetwork.bsky.social ⬇️

Global health architecture reform must be anchored in UHC As a new UHC Knowledge Hub is launched in Japan ahead of international UHC Day, global health reform initiatives should align behind UHC as a country-led, sustainable global health model if they want ...

👏 "As a new #UHC Knowledge Hub is launched..., #globalhealth reform initiatives should align behind UHC as a country-led, sustainable global health model if they want to stay relevant." ‼️
@katribertram.bsky.social @arushlal.bsky.social
www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/featured-art...

Global health architecture reform must be anchored in UHC As a new UHC Knowledge Hub is launched in Japan ahead of international UHC Day, global health reform initiatives should align behind UHC as a country-led, sustainable global health model if they want ...

Global health architecture reform must be anchored in UHC www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/featured-art... Feat article by @arushlal.bsky.social & @katribertram.bsky.social #UHCDay

This was my third & final PhD paper from my broader thesis on hybrid norms & the politics of integration.

Thank you to my supervisors & examiners: Clare Wenham,
@justinparkhurst.bsky.social, @benjaminmasonmeier.bsky.social, Jeremy Shiffman

And to all participants + @lsehealthpolicy.bsky.social!

If you’re working on:

🔹 Health systems & fragmentation
🔹 Architecture reform & financing
🔹 Norms, diplomacy, governance
🔹 Future of multilateral cooperation
🔹 Cross-sector alignment (dev, climate, conflict)

I hope this offers useful insights – and a call to action.

doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

In an age of austerity, nationalism, and polycrisis, global health can’t afford to stay siloed.

I hope this work informs how we build a more coherent — and ultimately more equitable and resilient — global health architecture.

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

Towards a coherent global health architecture: perspectives on integrating global health security and universal health coverage through diplomacy and governance reforms Abstract. Within the global health landscape exists a complex interplay between global health security (GHS) and universal health coverage (UHC)—two influe

In short:

This is about more than GHS and UHC.

It’s about how global health governance can adapt to intersecting crises – by building shared power, rethinking mandates, and managing complexity through diplomacy.

Architecture reform must address the politics underpinning it.

The paper also offers practical insights and ideas, such as:

🧩 Integrated national planning
📊 Pooled financing across verticals
🌍 Regional hubs for PHC + epidemic preparedness
🤝 Health diplomacy that fosters shared legitimacy

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

Towards a coherent global health architecture: perspectives on integrating global health security and universal health coverage through diplomacy and governance reforms Abstract. Within the global health landscape exists a complex interplay between global health security (GHS) and universal health coverage (UHC)—two influe

This offers three levers for building a more coherent global health architecture:

1️⃣ Rebalance power → regionally anchored, country-led leadership

2️⃣Coordinate actor roles strategically → complementary mandates, joint planning

3️⃣ Integrative diplomacy → coherence as a norm

So what’s the path forward?

This GHS–UHC hybrid norm could be a tool to:

✅ Dismantle GN-GS power asymmetries
✅ Align actors across silos
✅ Promote integrative diplomacy in an age of polycrisis

But only if it’s embedded deliberately and as a regular practice.

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

Towards a coherent global health architecture: perspectives on integrating global health security and universal health coverage through diplomacy and governance reforms Abstract. Within the global health landscape exists a complex interplay between global health security (GHS) and universal health coverage (UHC)—two influe

This GHS-UHC ‘hybrid norm’ is already influencing:

🧾 Joint strategies
💰 Budget lines
🏛️ Institutional mandates
🤝 Diplomatic practice

But this norm isn’t fully formed. Coherence is constantly shaped, resisted, and redefined — based on incentives and sustained engagement.

Findings suggest a new ‘hybrid norm’ is emerging – blending security with equity, resilience with access.

This can be fresh and useful way to understand how global cooperation happens amid fragmentation — and how to sustain it.

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

Towards a coherent global health architecture: perspectives on integrating global health security and universal health coverage through diplomacy and governance reforms Abstract. Within the global health landscape exists a complex interplay between global health security (GHS) and universal health coverage (UHC)—two influe

Diverse experiences with power and priorities are crucial to unpack:

🔹 GN donors still dominate funding
🔹 GS governments often lack voice
🔹 Civil society push for equity, but lack resources
🔹 Multilateral actors emphasized metrics + efficiency.

This paper crucially begins to map these gaps.

Towards a coherent global health architecture: perspectives on integrating global health security and universal health coverage through diplomacy and governance reforms Abstract. Within the global health landscape exists a complex interplay between global health security (GHS) and universal health coverage (UHC)—two influe

💡 Many actors share motivations for coherence:
✅ Tackle fragmentation
✅ Sustain PHC gains
✅ Respond better to future threats

But key barriers persist:
❌ Siloed governance
❌ Misaligned financing
❌ High transaction costs

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

Stakeholders identified six dynamics shaping GHS-UHC integration:

☑️ Shifting definitions
☑️ Conceptual divergence
☑️ Strategic concerns
☑️ Strategic motivations
☑️ Structural barriers
☑️ Structural enablers

Each reflects deeper normative tensions – driven by politics and power.

Drawing on interviews with 30+ leaders across multilateral orgs, donors, governments, and civil society, I explore how GHS & UHC are defined, how they relate, and what drives or hinders coherence between them.
 
Spoiler: it’s messy – and deeply political.

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

Historically, GHS and UHC were seen as distinct silos (outbreaks vs PHC).

Today, health crises and funding cuts demand a new approach.

This paper offers one of the first in-depth studies on how global health actors negotiate coherence in practice – and the politics shaping it.

But how do we move from rhetoric to meaningful institutional coordination?

And what does integration across sectors or policy agendas actually look like in practice?

@oxfordunipress.bsky.social
@lseglobalhealth.bsky.social
@lshtm.bsky.social

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

Towards a coherent global health architecture: perspectives on integrating global health security and universal health coverage through diplomacy and governance reforms Abstract. Within the global health landscape exists a complex interplay between global health security (GHS) and universal health coverage (UHC)—two influe

Why does this matter now?

Amid shrinking aid, geopolitical tensions, eroding trust, and emerging threats, it is clear that global health must evolve.

Debates on architecture reform have intensified – from Wellcome Trust regional dialogues to the Accra Reset.

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

📢 New paper out in Health Policy & Planning!

In today’s fragmented world, global health needs more than piecemeal reform.

This study examines how diplomacy & governance can build a more coherent global health architecture – through the lens of aligning GHS & UHC.

🔗: doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaf086

An important moment for #UHC and our community. Many of my fabulous colleagues will be there, stay tuned for more soon 😉 @robyates123.bsky.social @arushlal.bsky.social #globalhealth

Pakistan’s Punjab province hit by 'biggest flood in its history' – video Fears of disease as more than 1,400 villages under water after three large rivers overflow their banks

As climate crisis accelerates, it’s the Global South that will be most impacted

Pakistan’s Punjab province hit by 'biggest flood in its history'

www.theguardian.com/world/video/...