Global Health Ethics and the Brocher Declaration

Shailey Prasad stands with partners at the Brocher Colloquium in Geneva. They are all looking toward the camera and smiling

Dr. Shailey Prasad, far left, stands with colleagues and partners at the Brocher colloquium in Geneva in May.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

This spring, I had the opportunity to represent the Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility as a co-organizer of a colloquium at the Brocher Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland on ethics in partnerships in global health engagements.

We met with the objective of validating the Brocher Declaration alongside participants from many countries around the world, including representatives from the World Health Organization. Participants overwhelmingly indicated that the Brocher Declaration principles that we laid out for short term engagements in global health should be the basis of all partnerships in global health.

In the era of COVID-19, and even before our current COVID pandemic, the global health community has been questioning ethical models for global health engagement. There is a strong interest in promoting partnership that is mutual and equitable—partnership that does not let one entity, country, or agency dominate the conversation about global health.

At this month’s Brocher colloquium, there was a consensus that the challenges in global health are too complex for any one entity to undertake—the guiding principles for global health should include the premise that we learn from and with each other.

These are principles that our Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility embodies in our work every day. We hope you will learn more about the Brocher Declaration and connect with us to sign on as a supporter.

– Shailey

Dr. Shailey Prasad is the Executive Director of the Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility and a Professor & Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Family Medicine & Community Health.