The global health governance landscape is at a critical juncture. Post–World War II multilateral models are increasingly strained by geopolitical fragmentation, declining development aid, and persistent failures to address transnational crises—from pandemics and climate change to conflict. At the same time, shrinking Official Development Assistance and a shift from grants to loans are deepening debt burdens in low-income countries.
Against this backdrop, Dean, Prof Teo Yik Ying, Asst Prof Kiesha Prem and Ms Afifah Ismat Rahman-Shepherd represented the School at the Special Session: The Future of Global Health Governance in a Fragmented World, held at the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) 2026.
The Special Session shared the findings from the Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue on Global Health Architecture Reform, including the three-day Singapore convening held back in November 2025. The Asia-Pacific regional consensus highlighted the need for a nationally designed, regionally coordinated and globally aligned global health architecture.
This extraordinary session was enriched with three panel discussions which moved beyond aspirational rhetoric to explore pragmatic, equity-centred strategies across three critical dimensions:
• Changes in the global health architecture and their implications for governance, diplomacy, and the financing of global health
• Reimagining new models of governance and health diplomacy suited to a multipolar and fragmented world
• Reimagining alternative and sustainable models of global health financing, beyond traditional aid-dependent paradigms
By examining decentralized and polycentric approaches, regional alliances, and innovative financing mechanisms, the session aimed to restore trust, strengthen resilience, and ensure inclusive participation for an equitable global health future.
Read the full report on Reimagining Global Health Reform in the Asia Pacific: Nationally Designed, Regionally Coordinated and Globally Aligned.