About the Institute for Global Health Policy Research (iGHP)

The mission of iGHP is to develop and disseminate scientific evidence for the advancement of global health policy, to advocate for policy and diplomacy, and to develop human resources.
Currently, the iGHP consists of three departments of global health:

・Innovative health system

・Medical and social epidemiological indicators (metrics) and evaluation

・Health diplomacy, governance and evaluation

They work closely with each other and collaborate with related domestic and international organizations in conducting a variety of projects. For more information on the projects, please visit our website.

The background for iGHP is as follows.
First of all, it is vital to keep in mind that global health is different from the traditional concept of international health in the narrow sense of the term, in which developed countries provide aid to developing countries. In the twenty-first century, we have moved from dealing with malnutrition, infectious diseases, and other health problems in developing countries to dealing with global climate change, recurring large-scale disasters, health hazards associated with conflicts, and the recent pandemics of infectious diseases, such as the new coronavirus infection. These health issues have emerged as a common health challenge for countries around the world, regardless of their economic power.

In September 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set by the United Nations as a common global health goal, were announced. Among SDGs, ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all people of all ages were addressed concerning health. Global health can be regarded as all the practical activities and research that support this goal.

At the G7 Ise-Shima Summit in May 2016 and the G20 Osaka Summit in June 2019, Japan's presence as a country that achieved healthy longevity under Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has been enhanced as one of the leaders in global health. This position needs to be further strengthened by announcing and introducing our systems, policies, and evidence on global health.

On the other hand, although research related to international health and global health has been conducted at several universities and research institutes in Japan, the number and scale of research centers in Japan are not as large as those in Europe and the United States. As a result, there has been limited research and a systematic evaluation for various measures to promote global health from the perspectives of medicine, health science, welfare, epidemiology, sociology, economics, medical anthropology, and so on, leading to recommendations for policy and diplomacy. Accordingly, the development of human resources for these purposes was not systematically planned and performed.

The iGHP was founded to solve these issues in global health.