Global Health priorities in an unpredictable political climate

The current political climate loomed large at the International Studies Association’s 2017 Annual Convention in Baltimore, USA — with participants protesting about the travel ban and demonstrating in support of the colleagues that could not join the conference due to this development. The convention, however, also provided a chance to discuss the effects of changing political priorities in different areas of international studies, amongst others the field of Global Health. Here, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set an ambitious agenda for the future, including long-neglected issues such as the promotion of mental health as part of the general advancement of health. But new goals in this field face an uncertain future, as funding structures may be rearranged, for example, due to the re-institution of the ‘Global Gag Rule’ and potentially more widely across the field of international organisations engaged in global health promotion. Over four days, these discussions allowed time to explore the implications of the SDGs in general, and also for more targeted debates about the promotion of mental health in particular.

For further information about the current project by China Mills and Eva Hilberg in this field, please visit ‘Making Mental Health Count Through Digital Technology’.

Dr. Eva Hilberg, Post-Doctoral Research Assistant, School of Education.