BACKGROUND :

We have entered the third consecutive year of the worst pandemic in a century. The misery and devastation caused in the last two years has rattled most of us, although the virus is not solely to blame. Drug companies’ greed, health system privatization, weakened global governance, and the inadequacy of public health systems – all contributed to people’s suffering. Some of the world’s richest nations neglected the health rights of poorer countries to access vaccines, medicines, and other COVID-19 medical tools. Increases in already high levels of global inequality and injustice characterized the pandemic response. Global Health Watch 6 (GHW6) examines these issues through a political-economic lens, showing connections between the social, economic, political, commercial and environmental determinants of health and the structure of global power relations and economic governance. Similar analysis has been the strength of previous editions, and the GHW series has been hailed across the world for that reason. Importantly, as with previous editions, GHW6 describes and emphasizes the importance of people’s ongoing struggles towards the goal of “Health for All.” The narratives of resistance and social movement activism are spread throughout the book and set it apart from other writing in this field. The book reflects on what these interwoven stories of hope and change mean for a progressive, post-pandemic health activism. The Launch event would be open to all participants of PMAC. Main aim: To launch the latest edition of Global Health Watch 6 and discuss its main themes. Agenda: Moderated by: Matheus Falcao 1. Introduction – Fran Baum 2. Overview of GHW 6 – Ron Labonte 3. Focus on climate crisis, extractivism and ecological justice – Carmen Baez, Erika Arteaga and Rihannon Osborne 4. Guest comments – Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Vivian Camacho