World Public Health Week: Peace for Health, Health for Peace — A Health Systems Perspective from the Eastern Mediterranean

As health systems researchers worldwide mark World Public Health Week 2026, the theme "Peace for Health, Health for Peace" carries particular urgency for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). This offers an opportunity to examine how health systems function in contexts of protracted conflict and fragility, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Home to nearly 745 million people, the region encompasses a highly diverse set of political and economic settings shaped by conflict, displacement, climate stress, fiscal constraints, and governance challenges. Hosting approximately 40% of the world’s forcibly displaced populations, health systems in the EMR are expected not only to sustain service delivery, but also to maintain continuity, institutional reliability, and public trust under conditions of prolonged instability.

The region’s epidemiological profile reflects this complexity. Non‑communicable diseases account for approximately 68% of all deaths, while communicable diseases, maternal and child health conditions, and emergency‑related morbidity remain significant in conflict-affected settings in several countries, including Yemen, Syria, Sudan, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. These health challenges intersect with persistent health system and workforce constraints, particularly in access to primary health care and essential public health functions. In many EMR countries, health workforce density remains below WHO benchmarks, with shortages most pronounced in public health, primary care, nursing, and areas affected by conflict, limiting service coverage and system responsiveness and contributing to inequities in health outcomes.

Health system performance in conflict‑affected environments is further shaped by contextual and governance determinants. Fragmented administrative arrangements, population mobility, and reliance on external assistance complicate regulation, planning, and accountability. Disruptions to health facilities and constraints on access affect service continuity and preparedness, including direct attacks on health facilities and personnel in violation of international humanitarian law. At the same time, health systems may serve as operational platforms for coordination, particularly when shared public health challenges, such as outbreak preparedness, chronic disease management, or workforce availability, require collaboration across institutions and actors, even in constrained environments.

Across the EMR, health systems are increasingly interconnected through workforce mobility, cross‑border patient flows, pharmaceutical supply chains, and shared epidemiological risks. This interdependence highlights the analytical value of conceptualising health as a regional public good, rather than solely a national responsibility. Cooperative approaches, including aligned workforce planning, shared surveillance and digital platforms, joint training and accreditation mechanisms, and pooled investments in core public health capacities, can enhance system resilience, continuity, and preparedness. From a Health for Peace perspective, such arrangements support predictability and institutional linkage in contexts where fragmentation is otherwise the norm.

These dynamics are unfolding within a changing global health financing environment. Development assistance for health, which has declined in real terms since 2020 alongside increasingly fragmented funding streams and broader geopolitical uncertainty, are increasing pressure on domestic systems to sustain essential public health and workforce functions. In the EMR, where external financing has historically supported surveillance, training, and service delivery, this transition exposes structural vulnerabilities associated with short-term funding modalities. Sustaining continuity and preparedness under these conditions requires greater emphasis on domestic institutional capacity and long‑term system financing.

From a policy standpoint, advancing Peace for Health in the EMR involves deliberate system‑level choices across all country contexts. These include strengthening stewardship and regulatory functions; embedding workforce planning and financing within national health strategies; integrating health systems into humanitarian-development-peace and climate adaptation frameworks; and supporting regional mechanisms for surveillance, training, and shared learning. Such approaches position health systems as stable components of societal infrastructure rather than as reactive crisis‑response platforms.

For Health Systems Global members, the EMR provides a rich empirical setting for examining how political context, financing transitions, and system fragility shape health system performance. Comparative research, policy analysis, and implementation-focused inquiry are critical to understanding how public health functions can be institutionalised to support continuity, equity, and public trust over time.

The 9th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR2026), taking place in the EMR later this year, offers a timely opportunity to deepen this dialogue. We invite HSG members working on health systems in conflict settings, health workforce strengthening, health financing transitions, and regional cooperation mechanisms to submit abstracts and join us in advancing the evidence base on how health systems can contribute to peace, stability, and regional solidarity.

How is your research or practice contributing to "Peace for Health, Health for Peace"? Share your perspectives in the comments below.