How health became a matter of diplomacy
Video “Diplomacy in the Time of Cholera” shows the origin and role of the WHO
While keeping your distance has become the order of the day, it is also for sure that the only way to deal with the pandemic is through solidarity and cooperation of local governments and international health organizations. However, the different handling of an unprecedented situation has also revealed one thing: how controversial the mixing of scientific and diplomatic matters can be. Because in fact the World Health Organization (WHO) was and is exposed to great criticism for its handling of the crisis.
Prof. Dr. Maria Rentetzi deals with “Science Diplomacy”, an interdisciplinary research topic at the intersection of science, technology and history, and she holds the new chair for Science, Technology and Gender Studies at FAU since January. This research field explores the many factors that tighten the global COVID-19 crisis. Together with the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Prof. Rentetzi has produced a video that takes the corona pandemic as a starting point to wonder why diplomacy is so important for global health and how the WHO became a major player in health diplomacy.
Video “Diplomacy in the Time of Cholera”:
Please also visit the website of the ‘Chair of Science, Technology, and Gender Studies’: