New Realities in Global Health – policy symposium Celtic Manor February 2016

The second International Symposium was originally planned on the theme of new realities for global security with advice from the Department of International Politics Aberystwyth University, the oldest of its kind in the world.

However, it was decided in 2015 and agreed by the Society’s Council to refocus on global health and to work in partnership with Public Health Wales and the InterAction Council (IAC)  on a themed meeting entitled New Realities for Global Health Security.

Subsequently, a High Level Expert Group (HLEG) meeting was convened at the Celtic Manor in February 2016 co-ordinated by Prof John Wyn Owen FLSW,  Treasurer of the Learned Society of Wales. This meeting was supported by the LSW and Public Health Wales.

The Learned Society was represented by the Treasurer, the CEO  and the President , who spoke at the dinner on the first night.

The recommendations of the HLEG were presented by Professor John Wyn Owen as well as a ‘Pathfinder’ for the IAC, drafted jointly with Professor Colin McInnes (UNESCO Professor of HIV/AIDS, Education and Health Security in Africa, Aberystwyth University).

Of particular interest to Wales was the IAC recommendation to global leaders that communities adopt similar national and regional and local approaches as the Wellbeing of Futures Generations Act (Wales) 2015.

The report and the recommendations of the 2016 HLEG on New Realities for Global Health Security  were presented by HE Bertie Ahern and Professor John Wyn Owen at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the InterAction Council in Baku, Azerbaijan in March.