(A256) Public Health: A Portal to Peace

Abstract

War, conflict, and complex emergencies are major contributors to the crisis of human suffering with impacts on health, public health infrastructure, food security, economic viability, community infrastructure, and social fabric as well as the environment. Conflict mitigation and resolution are essential to the recovery and restoration of the community and health. Public health can serve as a mechanism to mitigate the impacts of conflict, serve as a bridge to resolve conflict and provide community resilience. The role of health care professionals as a “Bridge to Peace” is a critical component of conflict resolution. Health as a Bridge for Peace was formally accepted by the 51st World Health Assembly in May 1998 as a feature of the “Health for All in the 21st Century” strategy and has been demonstrated across a wide range of conflicts. Public health has attributes that make it a valuable platform for conflict resolution: it is broad, population-based, affects all parties, benefits both individuals and society, valued by recipients, and supports Universal Values. Public heath can be utilized in pre-conflict, conflict, and post-conflict situations and has been used in more than 20 conflict scenarios with Humanitarian Cease-fires, Days of Tranquility, and Safe/Peace Corridors supporting programs such as childhood vaccination days in Afghanistan to Guinea Worm Eradication in East Africa.