# Summary Box - Effective [[global health diplomacy]] necessitates multidisciplinary leaders skilled in navigating today's complex health political landscape through innovative strategies and collaboration. - The future of global and regional health advancement hinges on the investment in a new generation of leaders based on dynamic mentoring and learning metholodogies - Historical achievements, underscored by strong political leadership, serve as a blueprint for overcoming major public health challenges through concerted action and political commitment. - The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the global vulnerability to infectious diseases, highlighting the imperative for international collaboration in health preparedness and response. - To address global health challenges, leaders must engage across sectors, [[Proliferation of public and private actors working on health issues is considered one of the main causes of fragmentation in global health governance|combining public health evidence and private sector perspectives]] with insights into various disciplines to effectively communicate and negotiate within the political sphere. - [[Insights]] It's important (and interesting) to note that there are shifts of stance regarding involvement of private sector. Academics no longer demonize private sector but engage them and take into account their perspectives. # Current challenges Reports and calls highlighting the need for a robust global surveillance system, equitable access to health technologies, better preparedness and response financing and high-level political engagement have emerged.7 ==Yet, the gap between recommendations and their implementation reflects a dissonance between acknowledged needs and political action==. This disconnect underscores the necessity not only to understand but also to engage with the political realities of health, as relying on public health evidence and arguments alone is insufficient.7 Health leaders not only need to understand politicians, the private sector, activists and academic and multilateral institutions but also to be able to communicate and engage constructively with them. > This disconnect underscores the necessity not only to understand but also to engage with the political realities of health, as relying on public health evidence and arguments alone is insufficient. # Evolving leadership in [[global health diplomacy]] Effective global health diplomacy today demands a new generation of leaders who combine traditional skills in international relations and public health with a multidimensional perspective, political lens and renewed sense of collective accountability to tackle this metacrisis. Politically astute leaders can leverage diplomacy to build coalitions, share knowledge and negotiate agreements that advance global health objectives.8 Modern health diplomats blend knowledge from a wide range of disciplines and fields beyond their traditional domains of public health or medicine—for example, politics, economics, history, law, business, ethics, the environmental sciences and many other fields—adapting to the multidisciplinary and interconnected nature of global health challenges.9 Their roles extend beyond forging alliances and sharing information to include negotiating agreements with a balanced view of national interests and global needs and benefits. This comprehensive, multidimensional approach is critical for successfully navigating complex global health issues and advancing global health objectives. # Strategic future directions 1. Articulate [[health as a political choice]]: positioning health as a strategic and political opportunity is vital. 2. **Move beyond traditional public health models**: merging public health evidence with insights into other disciplines can provide the right tools and competencies for health diplomacy. This multidisciplinary approach, encompassing the language and priorities of politicians and the public, is key to navigating the complex political landscape and aligning health initiatives with broader political and social objectives. 3. **Leverage emerging global dynamics**: the increased engagement and empowerment of low-income and middle income countries and under-represented populations, in addition to the emergence of private sector and regional blocs like the African Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations ([[ASEAN]]) and private sector in global health discussions, present novel prospects for innovative forms of enhancing cohesion and strengthening leadership. Engaging with these emerging powers can create more balanced and effective global health. 4. **Cultivate a new generation of global public health leaders**: there is an urgent need to provide learning opportunities for global public health professionals who can adeptly navigate the current political realities.12 These leaders should emerge from diverse regions and sectors, including [[Non-state actors|civil society]], government, academia and the private sector, to foster a multifaceted approach to global health challenges.