Les mesures prises par l'administration américaine contre la coopération internationale ont des conséquences massives, y compris pour la Genève internationale. Celle-ci menace de s'effondrer sous nos yeux et le Conseil fédéral semble s'être endormi.
En deux mois, le gouvernement américain a renoncé à une politique étrangère basée sur des règles et au multilatéralisme. Il détruit les structures de la santé globale et se retire de l'OMS. Dans une Policy Brief publiée en février, le réseau Medicus Mundi Suisse a attiré l'attention sur les conséquences épidémiologiques, mais aussi sur les conséquences pour la Suisse.
Peu à peu, l'ampleur du phénomène devient de plus en plus évidente. Selon la plateforme d'information sur le développement Devex, basée aux États-Unis et qui étudie donc les conséquences sur le terrain, l'OMS disposera de 600 millions de dollars en moins en 2025. Pour 2026-2027, un déficit de financement de 1,8 milliard USD se fera jour. Cela correspond à 43% du budget. Selon Devex, le directeur de l'OMS a déclaré dans un mail interne : "Nous n'avons pas d'autre choix que de réduire le volume de notre travail et de notre main-d’œuvre. (Devex Check up, avril 3, 2025)
La Genève internationale se trouve au milieu d'un ouragan. Cela est dû à la pression financière exercée sur l’ONUSIDA, le GAVI et d'autres organisations internationales basées à Genève. La pression est encore accentuée par les mesures d'austérité prises par d'autres gouvernements dans le domaine de la coopération internationale.
Des milliers d'emplois pourraient être supprimés ou transférés vers des pays financièrement plus avantageux. Cela aurait des conséquences économiques et de politique étrangère pour la Suisse. La Genève internationale perdra massivement de son importance et, avec elle, la Suisse sur la scène internationale.
Nous avons affaire à un véritable « moment » Crédit Suisse pour la politique. Mais il n'y a pas de réunions de crise le week-end, pas de fonds spéciaux qui s'ouvrent, aucun signal vers le marché de la politique internationale indiquant que le Conseil fédéral va sauver la Genève internationale - "what ever it takes".
Martin Leschhorn Strebel
Réseau Medicus Mundi Suisse
E-Mail: mleschhorn@medicusmundi.ch
"Changer son comportement n’est facile pour personne. Expertes en santé à la CRS, Nicole Rähle et Monika Christofori-Khadka ont développé une approche permettant de favoriser l’ancrage de nouveaux comportements et transmettent maintenant leur savoir aux collaborateurs et collaboratrices ainsi qu’aux bénévoles du Mouvement international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge. Dans cet entretien, Monika Christofori-Khadka explique quelles conditions doivent être réunies pour que de bonnes habitudes s’installent au quotidien."
La Croix-Rouge suisse envoie de l’aide en Asie du Sud-Est, suite au puissant séisme qui a frappé le Myanmar. Immeubles, hôpitaux et ponts se sont effondrés. Des milliers de personnes ont perdu la vie ou ont été blessées. La Croix-Rouge suisse apporte un appui technique et financier et envoie du personnel sur place, en fonction des besoins.
"Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. While new treatments offer hope, the rise of drug-resistant TB strains threatens to reverse progress. This World TB Day, we highlight new research from Swiss TPH that aims to stay one step ahead of this growing health crisis."
"12h50, heure locale, un violent séisme de magnitude 7,7 a frappé la Birmanie. Des secousses ont été ressenties au Laos, en Thaïlande et également en Chine. le premier bilan fait état de 144 morts, et de nombreux blessés affluent dans les hôpitaux. Nous redoutons une grave situation humanitaire dans le pays, déjà fragilisé par une crise politique, économique et sanitaire. Les autorités ont déclaré l’état d’urgence dans 6 régions, impactées par le séisme. La junte birmane a également lancé un appel à l’aide internationale."
"La Lituanie se retirera de la Convention sur les armes à sous-munitions le 6 mars 2025. Elle devient le premier État à se retirer de la convention depuis son adoption en 2008 et de tout traité de désarmement. Handicap International, membre fondateur de la Coalition contre les armes à sous-munitions, déplore vivement cette décision et appelle la Lituanie à rejoindre à nouveau la convention."
"Ce n'est qu’après l'accouchement que Sunita, la mère de Prabin, a réalisé que son petit garçon était né sans la partie inférieure de sa jambe droite. Les premières années de Prabin ont été difficiles pour Sunita et sa famille. Ils aimaient leur petit garçon mais leur communauté n'acceptait pas vraiment les enfants handicapés. "
Reader Symposium MMS 2024
Dans le monde entier comme en Suisse, nous sommes confrontés à une pénurie de professionnels de la santé qualifiés. La pénurie mondiale de personnel de santé signifie que les pays s'arrachent, activement et passivement, des médecins et des infirmières. Les perdants dans cette situation sont surtout les pays dont les systèmes de santé sont les plus faibles. Ces pays perdent non seulement du personnel, mais aussi les investissements consentis pour leur formation. Le symposium 2024 MMS a exploré les conséquences et les solutions possibles à la crise du personnel de santé et a discuté des moyens de sortir de la misère qu'elle engendre. Ce bulletin présente d'autres informations sur ce sujet.
A document leaked last week offered more details into the US’s plans to slash its foreign assistance budget. Geneva Solutions examined what it means for organisations linked to international Geneva.
"The US decision to gut its foreign assistance budget has been cause for panic and confusion. A head-spinning succession of announcements from organisations seeing their grants paused, then exempted, then terminated, then restored, has made it difficult to get a clear picture of the scale of the impact of US funding. The latest piece of the puzzle comes from a leaked document from the US state department, reported last week by The New York Times and shared by Politico."
"The tariffs imposed by the United States on goods from several African countries on Wednesday will make it even more difficult for African countries to increase their health spending, said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). These tariffs – ranging from 10% for Kenyan goods to 50% for impoverished Lesotho – come on top of the loss of billions of dollars of US aid for health programmes including vaccinations, maternal and child health, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. (...) The Africa CDC launched a concept paper on health financing on Thursday outlining how countries could mobilise more resources for health in the face of a 70% decline in official development assistance (ODA) between 2021 and 2025, from $81 billion to $25 billion."
"WHO’s budget crisis is even bigger than previously thought. The global health organization is short nearly $1.9 billion from a planned $4.2 billion budget for 2026-27, along with a $600 million deficit through end-2025, senior WHO officials revealed at a global ‘Town Hall’ meeting of WHO staff on Tuesday, heard by Health Policy Watch. The $1.9 billion gap means that WHO is short nearly 45% of the funding it needs to run even on a the reduced budget of $4.2 billion that had been planned for the upcoming 2026-2027 budget period, Imre Hollo, WHO official in charge of Planning, Resource Coordination, and Performance Monitoring, told staff at the Town Hall meeting."
Guest Essay by Jon Lidén
"It’s been a rough few weeks. That is if you sit in Geneva or Washington DC and see colleagues who thought they were in safe, long-term jobs have to clean their desks and look for new work. If you run emergency services in South Sudan or Myanmar or any one of hundreds of other frontline battlefields in the global fight against disease, rough doesn’t cover it. The last few weeks have been tragic, heartbreaking and cruel. The sudden and brutal end to billions of dollars in global health assistance has been costly: in thousands of lives lost; in wasted medicines and supplies that cannot be distributed; in projects and research that will end with no conclusions or results. As damaging as the cutoff of services and treatment is, the infrastructure, supply chains, surveillance and information networks that are gone overnight are even harder to rebuild."
"The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned last week that 58 million people risk losing life-saving assistance in the agency’s 28 most critical crisis response operations unless new funding is received urgently. In a news release issued on 28 March, WFP said that despite the generosity of many governments and individual donors, it is experiencing a steep decline in funding across its major donors. The severity of these cuts, combined with record levels of people in need, have led to an unprecedented crisis for tens of millions across the globe reliant on food aid, it added."
Cinq projets importants de l'organisation humanitaire sont impactés par l'arrêt définitif des aides américaines. Dix postes seront supprimés à Lausanne.
"La crise que connaît l'ONG Terre des hommes Lausanne depuis l'élection de Donald Trump empire. L'organisation de défense des droits de l'enfant a annoncé jeudi que l'un de ses projets majeurs, en Afghanistan, ne serait plus financé par les États-Unis. Fin février, elle avait déjà révélé que Washington abandonnait son soutien dans quatre autres pays, à savoir l'Égypte, l'Inde, le Kenya et le Liban. Cinq des sept projets de Terre des hommes Lausanne sont ainsi désormais délaissés par l'administration Trump."
"Health facilities in two different Ugandan regions are out of stock of some lifesaving HIV treatment. The government is scrambling to address any shortfalls. A pharmacist at Kiboga Hospital in central Uganda said the facility ran out of the preferred medicine for children with HIV last Thursday. Instead, pharmacists are breaking adult formulations of the same drug down to a size they hope children will be able to tolerate.
"There could be 2,000 new HIV infections a day across the world and a ten-fold increase in related deaths if funding frozen by the United States is not restored or replaced, the United Nations AIDS agency said on Monday. (...) Byanyima said that if funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) did not resume at the end of the 90-day pause, in April, or was not replaced by another government, "there will be, in the next four years, an additional 6.3 million AIDs-deaths."
America Is Retreating, and China Won ’t Fill the Void
"Critics of the Trump administration’s early actions on global health—withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) and paralyzing U.S.-funded international health programs—fear that those moves will cede Washington’s long-standing leadership role to Beijing. American power and prestige, they charge, will wane, and China’s will grow. The reality is worse. A U.S. retreat on global health, if sustained, will indeed open the door for China to exploit the abrupt, chaotic withdrawal of U.S. programs in some strategic regions. (...) Without sustained support for either international institutions or health programs in the world’s poorest countries, the result will be a vacuum in global health that will make everyone less safe."
"The global health landscape is at a pivotal moment, where Africa’s collective voice is pushing for a redefined, equitable health architecture. At the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) 2025, a critical plenary session titled Health for All, Not for Some examined how Africa can assert its role in shaping global health policies, financing models, and partnerships to achieve sustainable, inclusive health systems. (...)The Lusaka Agenda, a framework for advancing health equity in Africa, was a focal point of the discussion. It underscores key areas such as regional manufacturing, research and development, sustainable domestic financing, and equity. Speakers emphasized that traditional donor-driven health systems have perpetuated dependency, urging a shift toward African-led solutions."
"African health systems are at a crossroads, grappling with systemic challenges including workforce shortages, underfunded infrastructure, and climate-driven health burdens. Volatile financing—driven by unpredictable donor commitments and competing global priorities—has left countries vulnerable to disruptions in essential services. The urgency for reform is amplified by overlapping crises, from pandemic recovery to climate shocks, demanding a reimagined approach to health financing that prioritises African agency and long-term sustainability."
As global challenges intensify, the Global Fund’s role in safeguarding health and equity has never been more vital.
"The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) today announced the first pledge to its Eighth Replenishment Campaign – and it comes from the private sector. The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) has made a groundbreaking US$150 million commitment, a five-fold increase from its previous contribution. This historic pledge not only underscores CIFF’s unwavering commitment to global health, but also sets a powerful precedent for private sector leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria."
"The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched new guidance to help all countries reform and strengthen mental health policies and systems. Mental health services worldwide remain underfunded, with major gaps in access and quality. In some countries, up to 90% of people with severe mental health conditions receive no care at all, while many existing services rely on outdated institutional models that fail to meet international human rights standards. (...) "Despite rising demand, quality mental health services remain out of reach for many people," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "This new guidance gives all governments the tools to promote and protect mental health and build systems that serve everyone.”
A brief for education policy-makers and school practitioners
"Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a threat to global health, food security and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tackling AMR is critical to preserving the world’s ability to treat diseases in humans, animals, and plants, reduce risks to food safety and security, protect the environment and maintain progress towards achieving the SDGs. Children and youth today will face the consequences of inaction and increased risks of AMR. In response, six organizations - the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) - recognize that young people can play an important role in bringing together wider society and stakeholder groups to tackle AMR."
PODCAST: Global Health Matters
"In this episode, we turn the lens on ourselves as the global health community. Host Garry Aslanyan speaks with Hani Kim and Seye Abimbola about how elite global health actors can marginalize local perspectives and knowledge. They stress the importance of localizing efforts and acknowledging implicit biases to address the structural inequalities that perpetuate health disparities. Seye Abimbola is Associate Professor at the University of Sydney School of Public Health and inaugural editor-in-chief of BMJ Global Health, and Hani Kim is Executive Director of the Research Investment for Global Health Technology (RIGHT) Foundation in South Korea."
By Louise Holly, Soe Yu Naing, Hannah Pitt, Samantha Thomas, Ilona Kickbusch
"The concept of determinants of health has evolved significantly over time. The Industrial Revolution marked a shift in thinking about health determinants, moving from a focus on individual factors to a broader recognition of how social, economic, and environmental conditions shape population health. The Digital Revolution and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) are broadening our understanding of health determinants further, raising new questions about what influences health and well-being in the modern world. The health promotion community has always been at the forefront of efforts to address the determinants of health, advocating for multisectoral action and policy responses that tackle structural inequalities and challenge the practices of health-harming industries. In the face of new opportunities and problems presented by digital transformations, the health promotion community has now been called on to lead the charge in addressing the digital determinants of health (Kickbusch and Holly 2023)."
The Gates Foundation is investing $7.5 million in a new AI Scaling Hub in Rwanda to boost innovation in health, agriculture, and education — part of a broader effort to scale AI across Africa.
"The Gates Foundation has signed a three-year, $7.5 million partnership to scale artificial intelligence innovations in Rwanda, on the sidelines of the Global AI Summit on Africa. The summit, convened by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Rwandan Ministry of ICT & Innovation in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, was held last week in Kigali. Trevor Mundel, president of global health at the Gates Foundation, and Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s minister of ICT and innovation, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Rwanda Artificial Intelligence Scaling Hub."
By Louise Holly, Soe Yu Naing, Hannah Pitt, Samantha Thomas, Ilona Kickbusch
"The concept of determinants of health has evolved significantly over time. The Industrial Revolution marked a shift in thinking about health determinants, moving from a focus on individual factors to a broader recognition of how social, economic, and environmental conditions shape population health. The Digital Revolution and the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) are broadening our understanding of health determinants further, raising new questions about what influences health and well-being in the modern world. The health promotion community has always been at the forefront of efforts to address the determinants of health, advocating for multisectoral action and policy responses that tackle structural inequalities and challenge the practices of health-harming industries. In the face of new opportunities and problems presented by digital transformations, the health promotion community has now been called on to lead the charge in addressing the digital determinants of health (Kickbusch and Holly 2023)."
The Gates Foundation is investing $7.5 million in a new AI Scaling Hub in Rwanda to boost innovation in health, agriculture, and education — part of a broader effort to scale AI across Africa.
"The Gates Foundation has signed a three-year, $7.5 million partnership to scale artificial intelligence innovations in Rwanda, on the sidelines of the Global AI Summit on Africa. The summit, convened by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Rwandan Ministry of ICT & Innovation in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, was held last week in Kigali. Trevor Mundel, president of global health at the Gates Foundation, and Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s minister of ICT and innovation, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Rwanda Artificial Intelligence Scaling Hub."
"Since reclaiming power in 2021, the Taliban have systematically denied Afghan girls and women their rights to education, employment, and freedom of movement. Now, as internal divisions shake the regime, there is a real chance that the ban on girls’ education may finally be lifted. (...) Nowhere is the fight for the rights of girls and women more urgent than in Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has led to egregious human rights violations, including the exclusion of girls from secondary education. Now, after yet another Afghan school year has begun without girls beyond sixth grade, a rift within the regime offers hope that the ban may be reversed in the near future."
Bewerbungsfrist: 22. April 2025
Souhaites-tu t'engager aux côtés d'IAMANEH Suisse contre les violences faites aux femmes et pour les droits sexuels, la santé des femmes et l’égalité de genre ? Alors postule dès maintenant pour notre stage à partir d’août ! Tu joueras un rôle clé dans l'organisation et la mise en œuvre de notre festival de films FRAUENSTARK ! à Bâle et apporteras également ton soutien au festival femmes à Genève. Nous recevons volontiers ta candidature (CV, lettre de motivation) en ligne jusqu'au 22 avril au plus tard sous info@iamaneh.ch
Medicus Mundi Schweiz / medico international Switzerland Attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel have increased immensely in recent years. Whether in Sudan, Kurdistan or Ukraine, the destruction of healthcare infrastructure seems to have become a strategy. Using concrete examples, our round table will look at the importance of the specific protection of healthcare facilities and personnel in the context of war and conflict and ask how the enforcement of international law can be strengthened. With representatives from the Kurdish Red Crescent, Médecins du Monde and medico international, among others.
Medicus Mundi Suisse À une époque où l'innovation numérique remodèle presque toutes les facettes de nos vies, le secteur de la santé se trouve à l'intersection d'une opportunité sans précédent et d'un défi important. L'intelligence artificielle (IA) et en particulier les réseaux sociaux ont transformé la façon dont nous accédons à l'information, fournissons des services et nous engageons avec les communautés sur des questions essentielles telles que la santé et les droits sexuels et reproductifs (SDSR). Cette conférence vise à explorer la manière dont ces innovations numériques peuvent être exploitées pour faire progresser la défense de la santé tout en relevant les défis qu'elles posent.
Swiss TPH "The Certificate of Advanced Studies in “Health Systems and Management (CAS HSM)” provides international participants with the competencies to plan sustainable improvements to healthcare systems that take into account diverse cultural settings and social and ethical responsibilities. Participants also acquire the ability to communicate and work in a professional and managerial manner in a multidisciplinary environment. With a focus on practical application and interactive training, participants of the CAS HSM benefit from engaging with experts from various fields and with the international and diverse student body participating in the full-time Diploma of Advanced Studies in “Health Care and Management: From Research to Implementation” (DAS HCM) course."
Solidarmed Diese öffentliche Podiumsdiskussion beleuchtet Ursachen, Auswirkungen und mögliche Lösungsansätze des Fachkräftemangels im Gesundheitswesen und schlägt eine Brücke zwischen den Herausforderungen in der Schweiz und jenen im globalen Süden.
Swiss TPH "Malaria remains one of the most pressing global health challenges, requiring partnerships and a multidisciplinary approach to drive effective and sustainable progress. Join leading experts from academia, international organizations, and the public and private sectors to share insights and discuss innovative solutions to reinvigorate our fight against malaria. Together, we will explore how to bridge gaps in research, policy, and implementation, integrate scientific innovations into equitable and effective strategies, and ensure lasting progress in increasingly uncertain times."
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute "The rising burden of chronic conditions and disabilities, driven by ageing populations and widening health inequities, demands a shift towards integrated, people-centred care. How can we bridge gaps across health and social systems to improve care experiences and outcomes? How do we ensure innovative solutions translate into equitable and effective strategies? Join experts from academia, healthcare, public administration and the private sector to explore solutions through interdisciplinary collaboration, digital innovation and policy reform. Discussions will cover: Integrated models for chronic disease management; Digital tools to enhance care coordination; Determinants of health; Patient and provider perspectives on care experiences."