An Agenda for Public Health Diplomacy in an Age of Populism

Public health is under pressure from rising populism, disinformation, and weakened global institutions, threatening cooperation, equity, and trust in science.

Populism politicises health, suppresses evidence, and marginalises vulnerable groups. Public health diplomacy must adapt, becoming more politically aware, ethically grounded, and resilient.

We propose nine ways forward: create diplomacy labs for crisis simulation; empower non-state actors like cities and NGOs; strengthen ethical communication and listening; protect health workers; build alternative accountability systems; reframe health as a diplomatic priority; decentralise and diversify funding; develop a new diplomacy curriculum; reinvent and defend multilateralism.

Public health diplomacy must evolve into a bold, inclusive, and strategic force. By defending evidence, empowering diverse actors, and reforming institutions, it can safeguard health as a foundation for peace and global progress.