The World Health Summit (WHS) Academic Alliance has published its 2026 Declaration on Peace and Health, calling on global leaders and academic institutions to protect the right to health in conflict settings and to strengthen the role of health as a tool for peace and conflict resolution. As a member of the WHS Academic Alliance, the Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH) supports this collective statement and its call for action.
The Declaration highlights the growing impact of conflict on health systems, health workers, and access to care, and calls for stronger accountability under international humanitarian law. It urges leaders to advance interdisciplinary research on the connections between health, peace, security, governance, and sustainable development; support health initiatives that contribute to social cohesion and reconciliation; and strengthen the capacity of health professionals working during and after conflict.
Academic institutions have a critical role to play; the Declaration calls for peace to be embedded within broader planetary health concepts and for academic institutions to generate inclusive evidence, support leadership in health and peacebuilding, sustain scientific collaboration across borders and conflict lines, defend academic freedom, and convene evidence-informed dialogue in equitable partnership with communities and institutions closest to conflict.
The Conversation Continues
The conversation will continue at the World Health Summit 2026 in Berlin through the side event, “Health and peace in a world in turmoil: From declarations and statements to a plan of action,” on Tuesday, October 13, from 16:00–17:30 CEST. This roundtable will provide an opportunity to reflect on the issues raised in the Declaration and identify practical ways our health and academic communities can collaborate to move from statements of principle toward meaningful action.
GNAPH President John Middleton and Dr. Farhang Tahzib, Convenor of the GNAPH Health Peace Practitioners Alliance, are expected to participate in the discussion, helping bring an academic public health perspective to this timely conversation.
The Declaration reinforces the important role of academic public health in advancing evidence, education, cross-border collaboration, and dialogue in support of health, peace, and more resilient societies.