COMMUNIQUE
10 APRIL 2026
The Ghana Public Health Association (GPHA) led the national commemoration of the 6th Edition of Global Public Health Week, held from 6–10 April 2026, under the theme “Peace for Health, Health for Peace.”
The Global Public Health Week, an annual advocacy initiative of the World Federation of Public Health Associations aims to raise awareness of public health initiatives, promote equity, and mobilize collective action across countries. In Ghana, the week was celebrated through a public launch, lectures and public engagement through social and mainstream media. The week’s activities were launched by Dr. George Amoh, the Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council.
This year’s event brought together multisector agencies including the Ghana Health Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, religious groups, students, media institutions, and civil society organisations – reflecting a shared national responsibility to safeguard both peace and public health.
Key deliberations underscored that peace and health are inseparable and mutually reinforcing conditions for meaningful development. Peace is not the mere absence of conflict; it is the presence of justice, equity, social cohesion, functional health systems, and human dignity. Communities experiencing persistent unrest routinely suffer weakened health infrastructure, disrupted service delivery, and impeded development, with direct adverse consequences for population health outcomes. Participants further recognised that misinformation, intolerance, and social fragmentation remain significant threats to both public health gains and peaceful coexistence.
Call to Action and Position of the Ghana Public Health Association
The Ghana Public Health Association hereby calls on:
- Policymakers and Government Institutions to prioritise peacebuilding as a public health imperative by integrating conflict-sensitive approaches into health policies and ensuring the protection of health workers.
- Security Agencies to strengthen collaboration with health authorities to promote dialogue and community engagement, particularly in conflict-prone areas, so as to protect lives.
- Media and Civil Society Organisations to hold national and traditional authorities accountable to their mandated peacebuilding responsibilities as well as to educate public by countering misinformation, advancing accurate health communication, and fostering narratives that unite rather than divide communities.
- Students and the Youth to serve as ambassadors of peace and health by rejecting violence, promoting tolerance, and using digital platforms responsibly to build social cohesion.
- Communities, especially those in conflict-prone areas to embrace dialogue, relinquish instruments of conflict, and actively promote peaceful coexistence as the foundation for improved health and development.
The Ghana Public Health Association reaffirms its commitment to the promotion of peace and health, and urges all stakeholders to advocate for sustained investment in peace and health as indispensable drivers of national development.
SIGNED
DR. EUGENE NYARKO
PRESIDENT
GPHA 