By Remco van de Pas
Ten years ago, The Lancet-University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health released a report on the political origins of health inequity. (Ottersen et, al., 2014) The independent academic commission was formed in 2011. It was initiated by The Lancet and the Ministry of Health in Norway to examine new thinking and analyses on broader, transnational, determinants of health. The commission provided recommendations on how to improve global governance for health. As such it built on the agenda of the Foreign Policy and Global Health Initiative, a club of seven countries who in 2006 decided to jointly advance the issue of health as foreign policy within the UN and beyond. (Sandberg et. al., 2016) The Collective on the Political Determinants of Health is taking this legacy forward. (University of Oslo, 2023) This article (by Remco Van de Pas, and published on the Medicus Mundi website, December 2023) takes stock of the main themes and recommendations of the commission, and includes some thoughts on an alternative pathway. Access full commentary here.