Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Rising global tensions, expanding militarism, and escalating conflicts had become major threats to public health. Conflicts intensified climate risks, displaced communities, strained systems, and diverted essential resources away from healthcare. The interdependence between peace and health had never been clearer. Addressing these challenges required a holistic approach that recognized how war, environmental change, and weakened governance structures shaped health outcomes across populations.
This World Health Summit 2025 Global Health Lab session – co-hosted by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and the WHS Academic Alliance – examined how conflict and militarism affected global health and what action was needed. The session was moderated by Andrew Haines (LSHTM). It explored links between climate change, conflict, and health; the immense resource diversion caused by war; the potential value of a global conflict–health index; and the urgent need to prevent conflict, especially nuclear war.
Speakers Elsara Badri (GAWCH), Carlos Umaña (IPPNW), Neta C. Crawford (University of Oxford), and Neil Arya (Pegasus Institute) brought perspectives spanning public health, international relations, peace advocacy, and global security. They shared insights into the human, environmental, and economic impacts of militarism and discussed pathways toward stronger prevention and peace-building.
The session emphasized that sustainable health progress depended on reducing conflict risk, reallocating resources toward human development, and strengthening global cooperation for peace.
The World Health Summit is the leading global platform bringing together science, politics, civil society, and the private sector to catalyze collaborative and innovative solutions for key health priorities. Learn more: worldhealthsummit.org
Rising global tensions, expanding militarism, and escalating conflicts had become major threats to public health. Conflicts intensified climate risks, displaced communities, strained systems, and diverted essential resources away from healthcare. The interdependence between peace and health had never been clearer. Addressing these challenges required a holistic approach that recognized how war, environmental change, and weakened governance structures shaped health outcomes across populations.
This World Health Summit 2025 Global Health Lab session – co-hosted by the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and the WHS Academic Alliance – examined how conflict and militarism affected global health and what action was needed. The session was moderated by Andrew Haines (LSHTM). It explored links between climate change, conflict, and health; the immense resource diversion caused by war; the potential value of a global conflict–health index; and the urgent need to prevent conflict, especially nuclear war.
Speakers Elsara Badri (GAWCH), Carlos Umaña (IPPNW), Neta C. Crawford (University of Oxford), and Neil Arya (Pegasus Institute) brought perspectives spanning public health, international relations, peace advocacy, and global security. They shared insights into the human, environmental, and economic impacts of militarism and discussed pathways toward stronger prevention and peace-building.
The session emphasized that sustainable health progress depended on reducing conflict risk, reallocating resources toward human development, and strengthening global cooperation for peace.
The World Health Summit is the leading global platform bringing together science, politics, civil society, and the private sector to catalyze collaborative and innovative solutions for key health priorities. Learn more: worldhealthsummit.org
