There has been much hype recently around the potential of digital technologies to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, save lives and help societies return to normality. At the same time, critics voice concerns about how the digital response to the pandemic may extend state surveillance and exacerbate inequalities through the exclusion of vulnerable gro...

Following the announcement that BioNTech and Pfizer’s co-developed Covid-19 vaccine candidate is over 90 percent effective,  Morgenbladet, a leading Norwegian weekly, interviewed us about the implications. While celebrating the news, we pointed out that access will be a major challenge for poor countries, and questioned the ethics of the comp...

(Cross-posted from the BMC Blog where it was published first) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has stated that universal health coverage (UHC) is “a political choice”. But what does it mean to say that UHC is political? The politics of UHC Universal health coverage (UHC) is a...

Digital technologies are often embraced as the solution to global challenges within health and development, but rampant commercialisation and weak regulation challenge the ideal of digital public goods capable of reducing inequalities. Techno-optimism Many express confidence that digital technologies available through mobile phone, tablets and ...

Global health is currently facing a significant crisis. Substantial and abrupt funding cuts from both US and European donors threaten essential programs and organizations, including the World Health Organization. While private foundations like the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust have signaled their inability to fully bridge these financ...

Norway plays a leadership role in the global pandemic response as co-lead of the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) and chair of the World Trade Organization TRIPS Council. The country is also a key negotiator in discussions on new financing instruments for pandemic preparedness and response. In addition, Norway is one of the five cou...

As co-chair of the ACT-A Facilitation Council, Norway has been a leading proponent of the need for global solidarity to achieve equity in access to Covid-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. By contrast, domestic debates about Norway’s ongoing vaccine roll-out have taken a distinctly populist and nationalist tone in recent weeks. While ...

The World Health Assembly, the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO) is meeting this week in Geneva for the 69th time, with a thematic focus on the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 agenda. Over 3500 delegates from WHO’s 194 member countries are there. In addition to a large proportion of the world’s ministers of hea...