Opportunities and challenges of trilateral South‒South cooperation for transforming development assistance for health: evidence from a DRC-UNICEF-China maternal, newborn, and child health project.

BACKGROUND: Trilateral South‒South cooperation is envisioned as an equal and empowering partnership model but still faces certain challenges. This study addresses whether and how trilateral South‒South cooperation can transform traditional development assistance for health (DAH) and explores the opportunities and challenges of trilateral South‒South cooperation for transforming future DAH, in the theme of "the emerging development partner's DAH transformation facilitated by a multilateral organization". METHODS: We evaluate a maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) project involving the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and China (hereinafter referred to as the "DRC-UNICEF-China project"). We analyze data from project documents and seventeen semi-structured interviews using a pragmatic analytical framework based on the DAH program logic model and the OECD's trilateral cooperation framework. RESULTS: Evidence from the DRC-UNICEF-China MNCH project suggests that trilateral South‒South cooperation facilitated by a multilateral organization can provide transformative opportunities for emerging development partners' DAH to generate and deliver context-based, demand-oriented solutions, harmonize rules and procedures, institutionalize mutual learning and knowledge sharing, and increase the visibility of emerging development partners as sources for South‒South development experience transfer. However, the project revealed some challenges, including the neglect of key stakeholders in the complex governance structure, the high transaction costs needed to ensure transparency, and the harm local absence of the emerging development partner poses to long-term DAH engagement. CONCLUSIONS: This study echoes some of the findings in trilateral SSC literature that claim power structures and philanthropic, normative justification for health equity are often juxtaposed in trilateral SSC partnerships. The opportunities offered by the DRC-UNICEF-China project align with China's cognitive learning process for strengthening international engagement and global image building. However, challenges may arise as a result of complex governance structures and the entrustment of facilitating partners, which can threaten the effectiveness of trilateral cooperation. We call for strengthening the beneficiary partner's ownership at all levels, engaging the emerging development partner to better understand the beneficiary partner's local context(s) and needs, and ensuring available resources to support programmatic activities and long-term partnerships for the health and well-being of the beneficiaries.

Strengths and weaknesses of the South-South Learning Exchange: a qualitative analysis of experts' perspectives.

Background: South-South learning exchange (SSLE) refers to an interactive learning process where peers exchange knowledge and experience to work towards a beneficial change. Despite organizations having recently increased the opportunity to run SSLEs, the SSLE support mechanisms and processes are not well documented in the scientific literature. This study explored experts' perspectives on SSLEs, strengths, weaknesses and mechanisms leading to sustainable outcomes. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews on experiences of participants and organizers of SSLEs. Data were collected between 1st September 2021 to 26th November 2021. All data were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed. In the analysis, we adopted an inductive approach derived from thematic analysis. Results: Sixteen experts, who have participated in or facilitated one or more SSLE, were interviewed. The experts' accounts demonstrated an appreciation of participants' empowerment, positive peer-to-peer "mind change" and convincing and powerful hands-on learning of this approach as strengths in the implementation of the SSLE. Being resource heavy, participant and donor reluctance and absence of a validated methodology emerged as main weaknesses of the South-South learning approach, which could impair the effectiveness of this scheme. Conclusions: The strengths of SSLEs are anchored in the theories of experiential and social learning, highlighting SSLE's potential to create an environment that enhances knowledge exchange. the study highlights the challenges SSLE initiatives face. In particular, these include limited commitment and funds, limited evidence of impact, disparate approaches, and the absence of standardized guidelines and evaluation practices.

The politics of gifts and reciprocity in South-South Cooperation: The case of India's Covid-19 diplomacy.

Development economists have often argued that South-South flows of capital and aid are devoid of the conditionalities and hierarchies that define North-South flows of the same. Maussians and neo-Maussians maintain that gifting-which allows for the ethos of reciprocity-leads to the formation of more equal international partnerships. This article focusses on India's development diplomacy. We unpack Indian cultural notions of 'gifting', which do not allow for imaginings of reciprocity, and show how 'the gift' has been strategically employed by Indian actors as a tool of state-making to forge relations of hierarchy and dependence globally.

Advancing South-South cooperation in education: Indonesian experience with South Africa.

Education collaboration is important to increase the quality of human capital. South-South cooperation is conducted to exchange resources, technology, skills, and knowledge between southern countries. The purpose of this research is to investigate the collaboration between Indonesia and South Africa toward advancing South-South Cooperation in education. The data collection used in this qualitative research is an interview and literature study with 9 purposive informants from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Indonesia Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Embassy of South Africa. The data were obtained within six months. The interview was primarily used to explore the roles and practices of government institutions and universities in fostering education collaboration and human resources development. In this study, the South-South Cooperation helps Indonesia address its educational needs. The result showed that most international education cooperation between both countries is agreed upon at the University-to-University level through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), facing less sustainable challenges and low impact. Therefore, an investment-led model, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and a tool to monitor and evaluate this process are needed to improve South-South Cooperation to achieve its goals.

Instituto Butantan and Instituto Clodomiro Picado: A long-standing partnership in science, technology, and public health.

Instituto Butantan (São Paulo, Brazil) and Instituto Clodomiro Picado (San José, Costa Rica) are public institutions devoted to scientific and technological research, production of antivenoms and other immunobiologicals, and a variety of public health interventions aimed at confronting the problem of snakebite envenoming in their countries and elsewhere. In the context of the 120th anniversary of Instituto Butantan, this work describes the historical developments in the relationship between these institutions, which has evolved into a solid cooperation platform in science, technology, and public health. The relationship between Instituto Butantan and Costa Rica started early in the 20th century, with the provision of Brazilian antivenoms to Costa Rica through the coordination of Instituto Butantan and the health system of Costa Rica, with the leadership of Clodomiro Picado Twight. After the decade of 1980, a prolific collaborative network has been established between Instituto Butantan and Instituto Clodomiro Picado (founded in 1970) in the areas of scientific and technological research in pharmacology, biochemistry, experimental pathology, immunology, and public health, as well as in antivenom development, production, preclinical evaluation, and quality control. In addition, both institutions have played a key role in the integration of regional efforts in Latin America to create a network of public institutions devoted to antivenom production and quality control, in close coordination with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). This long-standing partnership is an example of a highly productive south-south cooperation under a frame of solidarity and public well-being.

Science Diplomacy in Latin America and the Caribbean: Current Landscape, Challenges, and Future Perspectives.

Science, technology, and innovation are taking center stage in international affairs and increasingly influencing the geopolitical dynamics and a country's standing on the global stage. New scientific and technological advancements are acquiring greater strategic relevance to ensure competitive advantages in the twenty-first century global order. At the same time, international scientific collaboration contributes to generating and democratizing knowledge and improving relations between countries as a "soft power" tool to coordinate science-based solutions to transboundary problems, and to build bridges between countries with tense diplomatic relations. Science diplomacy is not a new concept, but most of its intellectual foundations and practical applications have emerged in the Global North. This article describes the diverse approaches, policies and practices adopted by Latin American and Caribbean countries at the national, sub-national, and regional levels. It analyzes their successes and challenges and identifies opportunities to guide the region toward a common science diplomacy strategy to achieve sustainable development through incorporating science as a permanent element in the foreign policy toolkit of Latin American nations. By documenting and illuminating best practices in the region, this article also seeks to balance the emphasis that has so far been largely concentrated on the regions of Europe and North America and contribute to future efforts and strategies for the development of sustainable science diplomacy mechanisms at the national, regional, North-South and South-South levels.

For further collaboration on strengthening Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Partnership project between Japan and Thailand.

Thailand achieved Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in 2002 ahead of other low-middle income countries. Through its experiences, Thailand has actively assisted other developing countries in working towards UHC. However, Thailand is now facing new challenges such as increasing healthcare costs, differing service coverage and purchasing mechanisms among its three health care schemes, and the impact of a rapidly aging population on its health systems. Thailand requested technical support from the Japanese government. Japan achieved UHC in 1961 and its extensive experience of introducing and implementing UHC is a fitting example for Thailand and other countries struggling toward a stable health care system. Thus, the partnership project for Global Health and Universal Health Coverage was launched in July 2016 as a four-year flagship project for "North-South-South Cooperation". Japan and Thailand will further focus to support other countries to achieve UHC, which will be conducive to promoting leading roles of the two countries in the global health arena.

South-South humanitarianism: The case of Covid-organics in Tanzania.

Tanzania's President sent a plane to Madagascar in May 2020 to bring a shipment of Covid-Organics, a purported cure and prevention for COVID-19. The herbal remedy was described as a gift to help African countries in need. Drawing on preliminary data in English and Kiswahili from unstructured participant observation, social and legacy media available online and shared through contact channels, and ongoing conversations, we explore the Tanzanian policy response to COVID-19. What can the exemplary case of Covid-Organics in Tanzania help us to understand about South-South humanitarian assistance (SSHA) in times of crisis? We suggest that Covid-Organics has enabled the government to project a link to latent debates about Pan-Africanism and Julius Nyerere's legacy and Madagascar's SSHA has provided an opportunity for a public reflection on Africa's place in the world. For some, the remedy's 'Africanness' is its comparative advantage, even promising a continental renaissance. For others, the lack of scientific evidence or approval by global health authorities like WHO is delegitimizing. These findings suggest that receivers of SSHA make sense of it in both a broad, post-colonial discursive context and in a specific context of local contestation. If the promise of this particular form of aid is its ability to transcend deep divisions between North and South, the case of Covid-Organics suggests that SSHA draws on deep ideologies of Pan-Africanism; is increasingly important in crises that are global; and like other forms of humanitarianism, reflects elite politics and priorities rather than prioritizing the distribution of humanitarian goods and decreasing inequality.

Instituto Butantan and Instituto Clodomiro Picado: a long-standing partnership in science, technology, and public health

Instituto Butantan (São Paulo, Brazil) and Instituto Clodomiro Picado (San José, Costa Rica) are public institutions devoted to scientific and technological research, production of antivenoms and other immunobiologicals, and a variety of public health interventions aimed at confronting the problem of snakebite envenoming in their countries and elsewhere. In the context of the 120th anniversary of Instituto Butantan, this work describes the historical developments in the relationship between these institutions, which has evolved into a solid cooperation platform in science, technology, and public health. The relationship between Instituto Butantan and Costa Rica started early in the 20th century, with the provision of Brazilian antivenoms to Costa Rica through the coordination of Instituto Butantan and the health system of Costa Rica, with the leadership of Clodomiro Picado Twight. After the decade of 1980, a prolific collaborative network has been established between Instituto Butantan and Instituto Clodomiro Picado (founded in 1970) in the areas of scientific and technological research in pharmacology, biochemistry, experimental pathology, immunology, and public health, as well as in antivenom development, production, preclinical evaluation, and quality control. In addition, both institutions have played a key role in the integration of regional efforts in Latin America to create a network of public institutions devoted to antivenom production and quality control, in close coordination with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). This long-standing partnership is an example of a highly productive south-south cooperation under a frame of solidarity and public well-being.

Embedded implementation research determinants in Latin American health systems

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To assess the determinants of embedded implementation research (EIR) conduct in seven Latin American and Caribbean countries. METHODS: This qualitative interpretative study conducted and analyzed 14 semi-structured interviews based on a grounded theory approach using Atlas-ti© 7.5.7. We grouped the conditions appointed by interviewees as determinants of EIR conduct into six domains. RESULTS: The participation of high-level engaged decision makers as research co-producers is an important EIR determinant that fosters research use. Nevertheless, EIR faces challenges such as dealing with key personnel changes and fluctuating political contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its limitations, EIR is effective in creating a sense of ownership of research results among implementers, which helps bridge the gap between research and decision-making in health systems.

Instituições Brasileiras de Ensino e Pesquisa na Cooperação Sul-Sul para o Desenvolvimento: ciência, tecnologia e inovação em saúde / Brazilian teaching and research institutions in South-South cooperation for development: science, technology and innovation

Este trabalho possui o objetivo principal de identificar e analisar a relevância da cooperação Sul-Sul, especialmente BRICS, nas atividades científicas e tecnológicas da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Federal Fluminense e Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro nos períodos compreendidos entre 2003 a 2014 e 2015 em diante, utilizando a abordagem quantitativa para a análise dos dados. Como resultados e conclusões, o estabelecimento de parcerias com a cooperação Sul-Sul alcançou o maior crescimento acumulado (330,4%) em comparação ao crescimento acumulado da cooperação Norte-Sul (298,1%). Entre todas as regiões, o maior crescimento acumulado ficou com BRICS (1.650%). Do total de 2.199 parcerias, o Norte Global obteve 1.606 (73%) e o Sul Global 593 (27%). Na variação percentual entre períodos, de 2003 a 2014 a Sul-Sul obteve o maior crescimento (329%), de 2015 em diante sofreu a maior queda, com um crescimento de 130,8%. De 2003 a 2014 a Norte-Sul alcançou um crescimento de 266,7%, caindo para 149,3% em 2015 em diante. Os dados demonstram que apesar do 'Norte Global' ocupar as primeiras posições no número de acordos, os países em desenvolvimento compõem uma parcela importante e crescente dos acordos internacionais das universidades selecionadas. Os acordos com os países BRICS surgiram ou aumentaram quando o Brasil buscou implementar uma política externa autônoma com foco no 'Sul Global' entre 2003 e 2016. No entanto, a partir de 2016, a educação superior brasileira vem sofrendo cortes profundos no financiamento de suas atividades, inclusive diminuindo o crescimento em todas as modalidades de cooperação (Norte e Sul). Para a mudança de ordem internacional, parece fundamental que os países BRICS utilizem os instrumentos financeiros disponíveis para criar e apoiar parcerias de logo prazo direcionadas a produção científica e tecnológica das instituições universitárias. Ressaltamos ainda o caráter urgente e acentuado de incluir as universidades públicas brasileiras em uma política de estado para a ciência e a tecnologia enquanto questão de interesse nacional.

This work has the main objective of identifying and analyzing the relevance of SouthSouth cooperation, especially BRICS, in the scientific and technological activities of the Rio de Janeiro State University, Fluminense Federal University and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in the periods between 2003 to 2014 and 2015 onwards, using the quantitative approach to data analysis. As results and conclusions, the establishment of partnerships with South-South cooperation reached the highest accumulated growth (330.4%) compared to the accumulated growth of North-South cooperation (298.1%). Among all regions, the highest accumulated growth came from BRICS (1,650%). Of the total of 2,199 partnerships, the 'Global North' obtained 1,606 (73%) and the 'Global South' 593 (27%). In the percentage variation between periods, from 2003 to 2014, South-South had the highest growth (329%), from 2015 onwards it suffered the biggest fall, with a growth of 130.8%. From 2003 to 2014 the North-South reached a growth of 266.7%, falling to 149.3% in 2015 onwards. The data show that despite the 'Global North' occupies the first positions in the number of agreements, developing countries are an important and growing part of the international agreements of the selected universities. Agreements with the BRICS countries emerged or increased when Brazil implemented an autonomous foreign policy focused on the 'Global South' between 2003 and 2016. However, from 2016 onwards, brazilian higher education has been suffering deep cuts in the financing of its activities, including decreasing growth in all cooperation modalities (North and South). To change the international order, it seems essential that the BRICS countries use the financial instruments available to create and support long-term partnerships aimed at the scientific and technological production of university institutions. We also emphasize the urgent nature of including brazilian public universities in a state policy for science and technology as a matter of national interest.

Acesso a medicamentos e cooperação Sul-Sul: um estudo de caso de negociação conjunta de preços na América do Sul / Access to medicines and South-South cooperation: a case study on joint drug price negotiations in South America / Acceso a medicamentos y cooperación Sur-Sur: un estudio de caso de negociación conjunta de precios en Suramérica

Resumo: Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar a negociação conjunta de preços de medicamentos de alto custo, que iniciou em 2015 nos âmbitos do Mercado Comum do Sul (Mercosul) e da União de Nações Sul-Americanas (Unasul), com a participação da Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde (OPAS). Apresenta-se como um estudo de caso, baseado em pesquisa documental e entrevistas em profundidade, que descreve a primeira etapa presencial do processo de negociação de preços conduzido pelo Comitê Ad Hoc de Negociação de Preços de Medicamentos de Alto Custo (CAHPM) do Mercosul. Tal processo resultou no estabelecimento de preços-teto na região para o darunavir e o sofosbuvir. No caso do darunavir, houve uma redução do preço global do medicamento, inclusive no preço do Fundo Global de Luta Contra aids, Tuberculose e Malária. Conclui-se que a negociação de preços foi bem-sucedida nos casos mencionados, e a participação do Fundo Estratégico da OPAS na compra dos medicamentos agilizou o processo de compra e a disponibilidade destes nos países.

Abstract: This article aims to analyze joint negotiation of prices on high-cost drugs, which began in 2015 in the frameworks of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and the Union of South American Nations (USAN), with the participation of the Pan-Americana Health Organization (PAHO). This is a case study based on document research and in-depth interviews, describing the first face-to-face stage in the price negotiations led by the Mercosur Ad Hoc Committee on Drug Price Negotiations. The process resulted in the establishment of price caps in South America for darunavir and sofosbuvir. In the case of darunavir, there was a reduction in the global price, including the price in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. In conclusion, price negotiation was successful in the above-mentioned cases, and participation by the PAHO Strategic Fund in the drug purchases streamlined their procurement and their availability in the countries.

Resumen: El objetivo de este artículo es analizar la negociación conjunta de precios de medicamentos de alto costo, que comenzó en 2015 en los ámbitos del Mercado Común del Sur (Mercosur) y Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (Unasur), con la participación de la Organización Panamericana de Salud (OPAS). Se presenta como un estudio de caso, basado en investigación documental y entrevistas en profundidad, que describe la primera etapa presencial del proceso de negociación de precios, llevado a cabo por el Comité Ad Hoc de Negociación de Precios de Medicamentos del Mercosur. Tal proceso resultó en el establecimiento de precios-techo en la región para el darunavir y el sofosbuvir. En el caso del darunavir, hubo una reducción del precio global del medicamento, incluso en el precio del Fondo Global de Lucha Contra el SIDA, Tuberculosis y Malaria. Se concluye que la negociación de precios fue muy exitosa en los casos mencionados, y la participación del Fondo Estratégico de la OPAS en la compra de los medicamentos agilizó el proceso de compra y la disponibilidad de los mismos en los países.

The politics and practice of initiating a public health postgraduate programme in three universities in sub-Saharan Africa: the challenges of alignment and coherence.

BACKGROUND: In-country postgraduate training programme in low and middle income countries are widely considered to strengthen institutional and national capacity. There exists dearth of research about how new training initiatives in public health training institutions come about. This paper examines a south-south collaborative initiative wherein three universities based in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Mozambique set out to develop a local based postgraduate programme on health workforce development/management through partnership with a university in South Africa. METHODS: We used a qualitative case study design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 key informants, who were purposively recruited based on their association or proximity to the programme, and their involvement in the development, review, approval and implementation of the programme. We gathered supplementary data through document reviews and observation. Thematic analysis was used and themes were generated inductively from the data and deductively from literature on capacity development. RESULTS: University A successfully initiated a postgraduate training programme in health workforce development/management. University B and C faced multiple challenges to embed the programme. It was evident that multiple actors underpin programme introduction across institutions, characterized by contestations over issues of programme feasibility, relevance, or need. A daunting challenge in this regard is establishing coherence between health ministries' expectation to roll out training programmes that meet national health priorities and ensure sustainability, and universities and academics' expectations for investment or financial incentive. Programme champions, located in the universities, can be key actors in building such coherence, if they are committed and received sustained support. The south-south initiative also suffers from lack of long term and adequate support. CONCLUSIONS: Against the background of very limited human capacity and competition for this capacity, initiating the postgraduate programme on health workforce development/management proved to be a political as much as a technical undertaking influenced by multiple actors vying for recognition or benefits, and influence over issues of programme feasibility, relevance or need. Critical in the success of the initiative was alignment and coherence among actors, health ministries and universities in particular, and how well programme champions are able to garner support for and ownership of programme locally. The paper argues that coherence and alignment are crucial to embed programmes, yet hard to achieve when capacity and resources are limited and contested.

[Strategy for the South-South cooperation on schistosomiasis control under the Belt and Road Initiative].

Following the concerted efforts for nearly 70 years, great successes have been achieved in the national schistosomiasis control programme in China. Currently, the national schistosomiasis control programme in China is facing the challenges to solve the problems during the"final mile"stage towards schistosomiasis elimination, and contribute Chinese experiences, Chinese strategy and Chinese wisdom to the global schistosomiasis control programmes, so as to facilitate the transformation of the joint efforts in the Belt and Road Initiative to a high-quality development, thereby well supporting the activities on global health security. This paper analyzes the current global status of schistosomiasis and the challenges of the global schistosomiasis control programmes, describes the basis for the cooperation on schistosomiasis control among the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, illustrates the challenges for translation of Chinese experiences and techniques in schistosomiasis control to other diseaseendemic countries, and proposes the patterns and prospects of the South-South cooperation on schistosomiasis control under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Looking toward 2030: Strengthening midwifery education through regional partnerships.

AIMS: The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of a regional capacity-building project between Thailand and Laos that supports the United Nation's sustainable development goal 3 through midwifery education. DESIGN: Discussion paper based on an exemplar. DATA SOURCES: The International Confederation of Midwifery's standards of midwifery education and World Health Organization midwifery educator core competencies provided the framework for capacity-building of Lao midwifery educators. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Knowledge gained from this 2-year project (October 2015-November 2017) increased the teaching confidence of midwifery educators while linking international standards and competencies to curriculum revision. In addition, capacity-building projects based on a needs assessment and implementation from regional partners may result in policy changes at the local and national level. CONCLUSION: Partnerships are essential to meeting the sustainable development goals. These regional partnerships may be highly effective in creating sustainable capacity-building projects. IMPACT: Maternal mortality and preventing deaths of children under 5 years old continues to be a challenge across the globe despite progress made in recent years. Progress toward sustainable development goal 3, requires efforts addressed in sustainable development goal17, partnership. Laos has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Southeast Asia. A project to increase capacity of midwifery educators demonstrated the benefit of regional partnerships in Laos to have an impact on sustainable development goal 3 ultimately improving maternal outcomes throughout the country. Partnerships especially those between countries in the same region, are crucial to the success of meeting the sustainable development goals.

Strategy for the South-South cooperation on schistosomiasis control under the Belt and Road Initiative / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Following the concerted efforts for nearly 70 years, great successes have been achieved in the national schistosomiasis control programme in China. Currently, the national schistosomiasis control programme in China is facing the challenges to solve the problems during the“final mile”stage towards schistosomiasis elimination, and contribute Chinese experiences, Chinese strategy and Chinese wisdom to the global schistosomiasis control programmes, so as to facilitate the transformation of the joint efforts in the Belt and Road Initiative to a high-quality development, thereby well supporting the activities on global health security. This paper analyzes the current global status of schistosomiasis and the challenges of the global schistosomiasis control programmes, describes the basis for the cooperation on schistosomiasis control among the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, illustrates the challenges for translation of Chinese experiences and techniques in schistosomiasis control to other diseaseendemic countries, and proposes the patterns and prospects of the South-South cooperation on schistosomiasis control under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Determinants of effective organisational capacity training: lessons from a training programme on health workforce development with participants from three African countries.

BACKGROUND: Health systems in sub-Saharan Africa face multifaceted capacity challenges to fulfil their mandates of service provision and governance of their resources. Four academic institutions in Africa implemented a World Health Organisation-funded collaborative project encompassing training, curriculum development, and partnership to strengthen national leadership and training capacity for health workforce development. This paper looks into the training component of the project, a blended Masters programme in public health that sought to improve the capacity of personnel involved in teaching or management/development of human resources for health. The paper aims to explore factors influencing contribution of training to organisational capacity development. METHODS: We chose a case study design. Semi-structured interviews were held with 18 trainees that were enrolled in the training programme, and who were affiliated to health ministries or public health training institutions. We gathered additional data through document reviews, observation, and interviews with 14 key informants associated with the programme and/or working in the collaborating institutions. The evidence gathered were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Thirteen of the 18 training participants stayed in the target institutions and contributed to improved capacity of their institutions in the fields of management, policy, planning, research, training, or curriculum development. Five left for private and international agencies due to dissatisfaction with payment, work conditions, or career prospect. Factors that were associated with the training, trainees, and the institutional and broader context, determine contribution of training to organisational capacity development. These include relevance of newly acquired knowledge and skills set of trainees to the role/position they assume in the organisation; recognition of trainees by employing organisations in terms of promotion or assignment of challenging tasks; and motivation and retention of trained staff. CONCLUSION: Training, even if relevant and applicable, makes no more than a 'latent' contribution, one which is activated and realised through alignment of clusters of interacting contextual and relational factors related to the target institutions and trained personnel. While not predictable, implementers need to focus more deliberately on the likely interaction and best possible alignments between training relevance, student selection for potential to contribute, recognition and career advancement potential.

Is there a social justice variant of South-South health cooperation?: a scoping and critical literature review.

Background: In recent decades, global health scholars and policymakers have highlighted the burgeoning role of South-South cooperation (SSC) in health, claiming it constitutes a more just and even-handed approach to health cooperation. But the assertion that SSC inherently challenges power asymmetries and pursues egalitarian agendas and forms of interaction merits interrogation. Here we explore a transformative, counter-hegemonic, solidarity-oriented form of SSC - social justice-oriented South-South cooperation (SJSSC) - as differentiated from other types of health aid. Objective: The objectives of this scoping review are: 1) to determine what is known and discussed through peer-reviewed and grey literature about SJSSC in health; and 2) to identify the different features and principles of SJSSC. This review seeks to inform research agendas and identify implications for policy and practice around SJSSC. Methods: We conducted a search for relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature in eight languages and screened abstracts that met inclusion criteria. We carried out a full-text review and data extraction on included pieces and conducted a thematic analysis identifying a set of repeated themes related to the features and principles of SJSSC. Results: We identified 188 publications meeting our criteria. Through an iterative process, we developed two overarching categories: values and strategies. Each comprises four themes that allowed us to map the ideas and practices of SJSSC depicted in the literature. The values mapped are: an anti-hegemonic world view; equity-oriented and redistributive political values; egalitarian terms of cooperation; and reciprocity. The strategies encompass: solidarity-building; health justice approaches; mutual exchange and collective justice; and challenging interests of dominant classes in the health arena. Conclusion: This review rectifies ungrounded claims about SSC by identifying and mapping the research literature on SJSSC and has relevance for the conceptualization, policy development, and practice of equitable health cooperation.

Looking forward: Disasters at 40.

This paper reflects on contemporary studies of and responses to disasters, highlighting the importance of historical, spatial, and intersectional modes of analysis, and draws on the author's ongoing research on Southern-led and local community responses to displacement in the Middle East. Acknowledging the plurality of 'international communities of response', it begins by critiquing the depiction of selected responses to disasters as 'positive' 'paradigm shifts', including in reference to the 'localisation of aid, and the United Nations' Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan for Syria. Next it turns to three key themes that are central to disasters studies: migration; forced displacement; and Southern-led responses to disasters. Among other things, the paper argues that exploring the principles and modalities of South-South cooperation, rather than promoting the incorporation of Southern actors into the 'international humanitarian system' via the localisation agenda, presents a critical opportunity for studies of and responses to disasters.

Collective health and regional integration in Latin America: An opportunity for building a new international health agenda.

From its origins, the Latin American Social Medicine and the Collective Health (LASM/CH) movements have focused on thinking about health from and for the region. After the implementation of neoliberal policies, social improvements and the geopolitical strengthening of the region became the roots of new regional integration projects in South America. The objective of this article is twofold. First, we explore the legacy of long-standing efforts in the region that address the social and political dimensions of health, associated with the LASM/CH movements and their influence on the contemporary regional health agenda. Second, we analyze the UNASUR Health policy, its role in the construction of a regional health agenda, and the principles of South-South cooperation it supports. In order to accomplish this, a qualitative analysis was conducted, involving primary and secondary data. Through UNASUR, a new framework of regional health integration and regional health diplomacy emerged in South America and a 'window of opportunity' opened for the ideas of Social Medicine and Collective Health to occupy a dominant place on the regional health agenda. It is possible to observe a confluence between the principles and values of these movements and those of the main constituent bases of UNASUR Health.