The International Health Coordination Centre (IHCC) is a unique whole-of-Wales programme of work, bringing together all Health Boards and NHS Trusts. It promotes and facilitates international health partnerships, serving as a focal point for information sharing, knowledge exchange, collaboration and networking across the UK, Europe and the world.
The IHCC aims to maximise potential gains for the people in Wales and beyond, promoting a culture of global citizenship and supporting a health system, which is globally responsible, as well as more equal, resilient, sustainable and prosperous.
The IHCC is part of Public Health Wales and its Policy and International Health WHO Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Wellbeing, sharing and amplifying international learning, benefits and opportunities. It has successfully established a strong network of key stakeholders within and beyond Welsh borders, including Welsh Government, Wales and Africa, NGOs, and UK, European and global partners and networks.
Public Health Wales International Health Strategy 2023-2035
Public Health Wales: Nationally Focused, Globally Responsible Our International Health Strategy as an Enabler of Our Long-Term Strategy 2023 – 2035
In 2023, Public Health Wales updated its 2017 International Health Strategy to better reflect the significant changes in the global landscape and to enable Public Health Wales’ new Long-Term Strategy. A wide consultation process, supported by a literature review and mapping of international work and collaborations across the organisation, has enabled us to identify our aims and activities for the next ten years.
Our international health vision is to be a globally connected and inspiring national public health organisation, working towards a healthier and fairer Wales to address worldwide challenges and shared goals.
The global political, social, and environmental context has dramatically changed since the original International Health Strategy in 2017 with UK’s withdrawal from the EU (‘Brexit’), the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and increasing instances of extreme weather events due to climate change.
Many beneficial examples of international health collaboration have taken place since 2017 and this Strategy aims to build on these and enable the delivery of the Long-Term Strategy through its implementation. International health working can range from research partnerships, sharing of mutual knowledge via digital meetings to joint training and collaboration on projects and other activities.
This learning can then be implemented in Wales to improve population health and well-being and reduce inequalities. It can support us to be a globally connected national public health agency, using innovative approaches and our international expertise, helping to prevent disease, promote and protect health, provide system leadership, and specialist services. This strategy shows how we will work with partners such as public health institutes, Welsh Government and others to enable international health activity and partnership working.
The Public Health Wales International Health Strategy is available here:
Charter for International Health Partnerships in Wales (the Charter)
The IHCC has facilitated the development of the Charter – a unique whole-of NHS commitments, aiming to ensure that principles and values of the NHS are reflected in all international health activity. It strengthens Wales’ reciprocal work to build evidence-based practice, and develop sustainable partnerships based on equity and in the pursuit of mutual tangible benefits and healthy prosperous lives for all, within and beyond Welsh borders. The Charter is based on Wales’ history of accomplishment and learning in this area and outlines the four foundations of successful international health partnerships: organisational responsibilities; reciprocal partnership working; good practice; and sound governance.
The Charter is available here: Charter for International Health Partnerships in Wales – World Health Organization Collaborating Centre On Investment for Health and Well-being
The IHCC has established an NHS Wales International Health Activity Group to provide a cross-NHS Wales platform for outreach and involvement related to international and global health work; informing, sharing, discussing, supporting and developing synergies and joint work streams. It works to create an active and motivated network of Health Boards and Trusts representatives who champion international health engagement, support ‘globally responsible’ sustainable organisations and drive a culture of ‘global citizenship’. The ultimate aim of the Group is to help achieve better health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities within and beyond Welsh borders.
Charter for International Health Partnerships in Wales: an Implementation Toolkit
The Charter Implementation Toolkit has been developed from lessons learned along the way, compiling examples of best practice and providing a governance framework to support international health activity. Designed as a ‘living document,’ the Toolkit will be continually updated to assist signatories in implementing charter principles.
The Toolkit, originally created in 2019, was refreshed in 2024 with new supporting materials such as:
- Guidance
- Case Studies
- Implementation documents
- Useful Resources
IHCC progress reports
The IHCC has published two progress reports highlighting NHS Wales’ achievements in working internationally and implementing the Charter. They also describe the IHCC enabling role and how it has evolved over the years in relation to global, UK, national and local developments.
The first IHCC progress report can be found here: IHCC Progress Report 2013-2015 – World Health Organization Collaborating Centre On Investment for Health and Well-being
The second IHCC progress report can be found here: IHCC Progress Report 2015-17 – World Health Organization Collaborating Centre On Investment for Health and Well-being
The third IHCC progress report can be found here: IHCC Progress Report 2018-22 – World Health Organization Collaborating Centre On Investment for Health and Well-being
Global Citizenship
Global Citizenship: NHS e-learning module
This free online learning platform is aimed at health professionals and all in the NHS in Wales, interested in learning more about Global Citizenship (GC) what it means to our every day lives, understanding international perspectives and health professional’s experiences and how we can contribute, help with solutions and become more globally aware in and outside of work.
The resource has been created to encourage Global Citizenship development and will enable NHS staff to:
- Learn about why there are inequalities in Wales and the world and their impact on health
- Take part in discussions on international health and development and other themes and topics
- Question viewpoints and perspectives
- Challenge stereotypes
- Learn about the social, economic, environmental, cultural and political impact of globalisation, especially on health and the NHS
- Explore their own values and how they impact on others
- Listen to, understand and respect different views
- Be reflective and develop critical thinking skills
- Understand the different ways of achieving global poverty reduction
- Develop and support their personal and professional development
Split into six modules, a core and five ‘deep dives’ covering subjects such as aid and development, rights based health, globalisation, peace and conflict and climate change, this resource is easy to access, easy to use and will be invaluable to all NHS professionals.
Liz Green, Consultant in Public Health, Policy and International Health, WHO Collaborating Centre at Public Health Wales said:
“Building a globally aware workforce will not only have benefits for those working within Public Health Wales and NHS Wales, it will have benefits for the wider population.”
Dr Gillian Richardson, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (Vaccines) who oversaw the project which began in 2018 said:
“We live in an interconnected world where local health threats rapidly become global, and global threats have local impact, as we have seen with the Coronavirus pandemic, climate change, food and water security and essential medical and other supply chains. In 2017 Public Health Wales made a commitment to become an organisation which is nationally focused and globally responsible through a 10 year International Health Strategy. This resource co-produced with Oxfam Cymru and the Wales Centre for International Affairs is an expansion of this, for the whole of NHS Wales, building on the Welsh Government Framework ‘Health Within and Beyond Welsh Borders’ (2012) where developing NHS Wales professionals as global citizens was one of four key priorities.”
The resource has been commissioned by Public Health Wales, in junction with the Welsh Centre for International Affairs and Oxfam Cymru and was launched on 4 November at the Wales and Africa Health Conference 2021.
The modules can be accessed here: Learning.wales.nhs.uk
You can watch our video on the Global Citizenship modules here: Global Citizenship PHW Intro – YouTube
