Identity, Belonging and Political Activism in The Sri Lankan Communities in Germany

This research examines the dynamic relationship of Sinhalese and Tamils living in Germany in regards to their home and host country, and seeks to better understand the complexities of their political involvement. The research is based on qualitative research methodologies. The author conducted 30 interviews in Berlin during the period 2006–2008 to inform this research. The research not only provides an overview of the historical contexts of Sri Lanka and Germany, it also links these histories with the processes of outmigration from Sri Lanka and in-migration to Germany. It then continues to analyse the construction of belonging in the context of the Sri Lankan diaspora communities in Berlin. The research examines how far concepts of home, citizenship, nationalism and identity construction shape the sense of belonging of first and second generation Sinhalese and Tamils in Berlin. Finally, it analyses the ways the members of the Sri Lankan diaspora communities engage in economic, political, social, cultural and virtual activities in the home and host country, and how far these activities shape belonging and are politically motivated. The research also considers and studies the gendered nature of belonging and transnational political practices. The research uniquely combines the study of the Tamil diaspora with the study of the Sinhalese diaspora in Berlin. It allows new insights into the complex and multiple constructions of belonging and identity and into the interplay of gender, ethnicity and generations, and it highlights the importance of political activism in the conceptualization of belonging

Health diplomacy: spotlight on refugees and migrants

Nowadays, refugees and migrants are the focus of intense political debate worldwide. From the public health perspective, population movement, including forced migration, is a complex phenomenon and is a high priority on the political and policy agenda of most WHO Member States. Health diplomacy and the health of refugees and migrants are intrinsically linked. Human mobility is relevant to all countries and creates important challenges in terms of both sustainable development and human rights, to ensure equality and achieve results through the Sustainable Development Goals. This book is part of the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s commitment to work for the health of refugees and migrants. It showcases good practices by which governments, non-state actors and international and nongovernmental organizations attempt to address the complexity of migration, by strengthening health system responsiveness to refugee and migrant health matters, and by coordinating and developing foreign policy solutions to improve health at the global, regional, country and local levels

Strengthening Public Health Leadership in Africa: An Innovative Fellowship Program.

PROBLEM: The Ebola virus disease crisis in West Africa revealed critical weaknesses in health policy and systems in the region, including the poor development and retention of policy leaders able to set sound policy to improve health. Innovative models for enhancing the capabilities of emerging leaders while retaining their talent in their countries are vital. APPROACH: Chatham House (London, United Kingdom) established the West African Global Health Leaders Fellowship to help develop the next generation of West African public health leaders. The innovative program took a unique approach: Six weeks of intensive practical leadership and policy training in London and Geneva bookended a 10-month policy project conceived and carried out by each fellow in their home country. The program emphasized practice, site visits and observation of U.K. public health organizations, identifying resources, and networking. Strong mentorship throughout the fieldwork was a central focus. Work on the pilot phase began in June 2016; the fellows completed their program in September 2017. OUTCOMES: The pilot phase of the fellowship was successful, demonstrating that this "sandwich" model for fellowships-whereby participants receive focused leadership training at the start and end of the program, minimally disrupting their lives in-country-offers exciting possibilities for enhancing leadership skills while retaining talent within Africa. NEXT STEPS: On the basis of this successful pilot, a second cohort of eight fellows began the program in October 2018. The expanded African Public Health Leaders Fellowship has become a central activity of Chatham House's Centre on Global Health Security

La pertinence de la Global Health pour la Suisse

L'une des premières activités du groupe spécialisé "Global Health", créé au sein de la société de discipline médicale Santé Publique Suisse, a été de formuler une définition appropriée au contexte helvétique du terme de "Global Health" (santé globale). La "Global Health est un espace destiné à la recherche, à la pratique et aux règles y afférents, qui met la priorité sur l'amélioration de la santé, en général, et sur un accès équitable à la santé pour tous, en particulier. La Global Health répond aux questions de santé transnationales et s'intéresse aux déterminants et aux possibilités de solution. Elle implique beaucoup de disciplines, tant du secteur médical que d'autres domaines, promouvant ainsi la collaboration interdisciplinaire; elle encourage la bonne gouvernance pour anticiper et s'adapter à un environnement qui change rapidement ". A l'avenir, une plateforme sera créée dans le but d'offrir un accès aux expériences internationales et de les fructifier en Suisse mais aussi de partager les expériences acquises ici localement, avec des partenaires internationaux tels que les associations européenne et mondiale de santé publique. Last but not least, le groupe spécialisé susmentionné va plaider pour une compréhension large et commune de la Global Health

The Global Fund's paradigm of oversight, monitoring, and results in Mozambique

The Global Fund is one of the largest actors in global health. In 2015 the Global Fund was credited with disbursing close to 10 % of all development assistance for health. In 2011 it began a reform process in response to internal reviews following allegations of recipients' misuse of funds. Reforms have focused on grant application processes thus far while the core structures and paradigm have remained intact. We report results of discussions with key stakeholders on the Global Fund, its paradigm of oversight, monitoring, and results in Mozambique.; We conducted 38 semi-structured in-depth interviews in Maputo, Mozambique and members of the Global Fund Board and Secretariat in Switzerland. In-country stakeholders were representatives from Global Fund country structures (eg. Principle Recipient), the Ministry of Health, health or development attachés bilateral and multilateral agencies, consultants, and the NGO coordinating body. Thematic coding revealed concerns about the combination of weak country oversight with stringent and cumbersome requirements for monitoring and evaluation linked to performance-based financing.; Analysis revealed that despite the changes associated with the New Funding Model, respondents in both Maputo and Geneva firmly believe challenges remain in Global Fund's structure and paradigm. The lack of a country office has many negative downstream effects including reliance on in-country partners and ineffective coordination. Due to weak managerial and absorptive capacity, more oversight is required than is afforded by country team visits. In-country partners provide much needed support for Global Fund recipients, but roles, responsibilities, and accountability must be clearly defined for a successful long-term partnership. Furthermore, decision-makers in Geneva recognize in-country coordination as vital to successful implementation, and partners welcome increased Global Fund engagement.; To date, there are no institutional requirements for formalized coordination, and the Global Fund has no consistent representation in Mozambique's in-country coordination groups. The Global Fund should adapt grant implementation and monitoring procedures to the specific local realities that would be illuminated by more formalized coordination

Negotiating access to health care for asylum seekers in Germany

Bozorgmehr K, Razum O. Negotiating access to health care for asylum seekers in Germany. In: Severoni S, Kosinska M, Immordini P, Kökény M, Told M, World Health Organization - Regional Office for Europe, eds. Health diplomacy: spotlight on refugees and migrants. Copenhagen: World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe; 2019: 269-80

Additional file 1: of The Global Fund’s paradigm of oversight, monitoring, and results in Mozambique

Semi-structured interview guide. (DOCX 20 kb