Global Response 2010 – experts addressing violent conflict and health

In 2008, the WHO estimated that around 200,000 people are killed every year in connection with war or violent conflict, but these figures only include those who die directly due to the fighting. Many more civilians suffer and die in the short and long term because of lack of medical care, lack of vaccinations and lack of access to clean drinking water and food. Generally, violent conflict creates a vulnerable community. Community structures collapse, which leads to poor infrastructure, lack of management, lack of maintenance and deteriorating health system. Areas affected by violent conflicts are therefore also far more vulnerable to natural disasters. This public health emergency requires a focused effort by the humanitarian and global health community. To bring together all actors involved in the prevention and management of the health consequences of violent conflict, the Global Response process initiated a series of activities.

•    The Lancet, Social Science & Medicine and the Journal of the Danish Medical Association published themed issues on violent conflict & health leading up to the conference
•    The conference itself brought together 150 people from 20 different nations, representing leading academic institutions, civil society organizations and the UN including Harvard, Yale, Oxford universities, UNHCR and WHO, IPPNW, Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and many others.
•    After the conference all articles, abstracts, presentations, reports and summaries have been gathered on this home-page to facilitate the future work of the Global Response process and actors involved in the prevention of the human consequences of violent conflict.
•    Conference proceedings have been published in a final report and conclusions of presentations and working groups are being synthesized for publication
•    Global Doctors are actively contributing international and national advocacy for the consideration of the effects on violent conflict on the possibility of obtaining the Millennium Development Goals in 2015 as planned.

The Global Response process focused on three parallel themes:

1)    Common causes of and links between violent conflict and ill health;
2)    Documentation of health consequences of violent conflict;
3)    The role of the health sector and health workers before, during and after violent conflicts.

Global Response was organized by Global Doctors in collaboration with, among others, the University of Copenhagen, the Danish affiliate of IPPNW, the Medical Peace Work Project and the Danish Medical Association.

Several cross-cutting issues emerged from this process, such as the need to be proactive in preventing conflicts, to ensure better cooperation of aid efforts, to secure funding for research and to build local capacity to increase resilience. Concrete projects and recommendations for future action were generated and many of the working groups formed during the conference decided to continue their work in the future.

Global Response received national and international media coverage.

Final Report.

Read the final report here.

Press Coverage.

See list of the press coverage here.

Academic input

In preparation of the conference we have encouraged the reporting of the newest information and discussion of existing knowledge on violent conflict & health.

Themed issues in scientific journals

The Lancet
Volume 375 No. 9711 Jan 23, 2010

Social Science & Medicine
Conflict, Violence and Health, Volume 70, Issue 1, Pages 1-168 (January 2010)

Journal of The Danish Medical Association

Ugeskrift for Læger nr. 2, January 11 2010. (Articles in Danish)

Abstracts & posters

See list of accepted abstracts here including link to full abstracs.

See list of accepted posters here including link to full poster abstracts.

Essay Competition

A student essay competition was sponsored by the Faculty of Health Sciences, Copenhagen University. The two winners were awarded coverage of expenses for the conference.

Read the winner essays here.