The 2008 Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health
September 4, 2008
The Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health, Bamako, Mali, 17-19 November 2008
The 2008 Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health is the culmination of nearly 20 years of global efforts to focus research towards improving the health of poor people. Since 1990 it has been internationally recognized that far too little health research has been focused on neglected diseases, and on the health of the poor in low and middle-income. In 2000, the First International Conference on Health Research for Development was organized in Bangkok, Thailand, to review changes over the decade. In 2004, the Ministerial Summit on Health Research was held in Mexico, in conjunction with the Global Forum for Health Research Forum 8. On this high-profile occasion, the Ministers of Health attending issued a statement calling on national governments to commit to fund the necessary health research, in order to ensure vibrant health systems and reduce inequity and social injustice.
While political momentum for strengthening research in developing countries is growing, much remains to be done. The Bamako 2008 conference aims to review progress since Mexico, to tackle current challenges and to place health research within the wider context of research for development.
The breadth of the theme “research for health” will be reflected in the engagement that the forum generates between health, science & technology, education, food, water, agriculture, the social sciences and community action research. This involvement needs to happen among countries and development partners locally, regionally and globally. The conference aims to generate specific recommendations and commitments. Within the overall perspective, which ranges from global to local, particular attention will be paid to research for health in the African context.
The 2008 Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health aims to bring together around 600 stakeholders including Ministers of health, science & technology, and social development; researchers; civil society organizations; national research funding councils; donor agencies; philanthropic foundations; and representatives of the private sector. 50 places will be reserved for authors of papers, and a world-wide call for abstracts was issued.
The 2008 Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health is co-organised by the following partners:
COHRED – Council of Health Research for Development
Global Forum for Health Research
The Republic of Mali
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
The World Bank
The World Health Organization
For more information: bamako2008.org
