2019-2023 Strategy for UNU-IIGH

Ten years after the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU–IIGH) began its operations, the United Nations University (UNU) commissioned an external review to assess the Institute’s past performance in order to inform its future direction. In addition to other recommendations, the review panel recommended UNU-IIGH to develop its long-term strategic role and positioning of the Institute as a resource for global health policy development and reference.

The 2019-2023 Strategy for UNU-IIGH shifts the Institute’s body of work from investigator-driven global health projects to priority-driven, policy-relevant pillars of work. The Institute’s mission to build knowledge and capacity for decision making by UN agencies, UN programs and member states about global health issues, and the goal to advance evidence-based policymaking on key issues related to sustainable development and health, the strategy is implemented through three pillars of work.

Pillar 1: Translation of evidence to policy

As a designated ”think tank” for the UN system, UNU-IIGH
is uniquely positioned to serve as a “policy hub” to support UN agencies and others to
translate and disseminate global guidance and recommendations to make them
relevant for country-level decision makers. To do this, UNU-IIGH will conduct the
following activities:

• Convene policy dialogues by serving as a hub and platform, bringing together
  experts, academia, policymakers and implementers to generate recommendations
  and build consensus on key global health issues. This would include, where required,
  review of existing evidence, conduct of secondary data analyses, and development
  of appropriate background papers and recommendations to inform the discussions.
• Inform member states and UN agencies through communication and dissemination
  of recommendations (e.g. developing user-friendly materials, evidence briefs, op-eds,
  publicising findings).
• Support implementation by providing expert briefings, advice and organizing
  trainings on key issues.

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Pillar 2: Generation of policy-relevant analysis–focus on addressing gender disparities in health

For each strategy period, UNU-IIGH has the opportunity to scan the environment to identify key areas where it is uniquely positioned to contribute to the policy debate through its own analysis. Following a
comprehensive assessment, in this strategy period, UNU-IIGH will focus its own research
on gender and health. Under this objective, UNU-IIGH will:

• Develop analytic tools to inform the development, implementation and evaluation
  of programs.
• Review evidence to identify gaps and set a global research agenda.
• Inform policy processes (e.g. development, review, evaluation) through training,
  workshops and symposia.

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Pillar 3: Strengthening capacity for local decision making

With its presence in Malaysia, UNU-IIGH is uniquely positioned to serve as a hub for South-South learning. By bringing together academics, professional associations, researchers and policymakers, the Institute facilitates the involvement of local professionals in global public health activities with a
particular focus on South-South collaborations and capacity building.

• Support South-South Engagement with a focus on linking Malaysian expertise with low- and middle-income countries globally.
• Develop knowledge products to inform global policy, such as short-course curricula and textbooks. To the extent it is relevant and applicable, Malaysia’s experience may be used as a case study for best practice and health systems learning.
• Conduct training and seminars that bring together academics, professional associations, researchers, civil society, the private sector and policymakers to enhance government capacity in public health.

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