Governance of digital transformations of health: Accelerating efforts towards building an inclusive global ecosystem that addresses country needs

The convergence of digital health with global health objectives such as Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has become increasingly evident over the past two decades, culminating in a WHA resolution on digital health. While over 120 World Health Organization (WHO) Member States have developed national digital health policies or strategies, many lack robust costings or architectural plans, hindering effective implementation. Fragmentation in resource allocation and variable quality of digital solutions further challenge the acceleration of digital health transformation. Moving beyond product-focused initiatives, countries are recognizing the need and asking for support to establish national digital health infrastructures. Youth are also calling for greater involvement in the design and governance of digital health transformations.

Endorsed by the Seventy-third WHA, the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025 articulates four strategic objectives to provide guidance and coordination on global digital health transformation and strengthen synergies between initiatives and stakeholders:

1. Strategic Objective 1: Promote global collaboration and advance the transfer of knowledge on digital health – aims to align countries and stakeholders to collectively act upon global opportunities to improve health and work towards UHC, while meeting challenges, identifying and communicating risks, and focusing on threats associated with the use of digital health technologies both to improve health and to enable UHC, the core of the health-related SDGs.
2. Strategic Objective 2: Advance the implementation of national digital health strategies – aims to stimulate and support every country to own, adapt and strengthen its strategy on digital health in a way that best suits its vision, national context, health situation and trends, available resources and core values.
3. Strategic Objective 3: Strengthen governance for digital health at global, regional and national levels – focuses on strengthening the governance of digital health at national and international levels through the creation of sustainable and robust governance structures and building the capacity for digital health at global and national levels.
4. Strategic Objective 4: Advocate people-centered health systems that are enabled by digital health advances digital health literacy, gender equality and women’s empowerment and inclusive approaches to adoption and management of digital health technologies.

Created as a vehicle to help accelerate the implementation of the Global Strategy on Digital Health, the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) aims to focus country-level efforts and align resources toward country-led digital health transformation through strengthened collaboration and knowledge exchange.

As a WHO Managed Network formally kicked off on 20 February 2024, GIDH aims to achieve the following objectives through collaborative efforts:

• Assess and prioritize country needs for sustainable digital health transformation. 
• Increase the alignment of country-level digital health resources and unfunded priorities. 
• Support the accelerated achievement of the strategic objectives of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025.
• Build capacity and converge efforts to encourage local development, maintenance, and adaptation of digital health technologies to continuously changing needs.

In line with the recommendations of the Lancet and Financial Times Commission on Governing health futures 2030: Growing up in a digital world, The Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab)’s vision for 2030 is that digital transformations are led by Health for All values and enable digital first health systems to deliver equitable benefits for the health, well-being and safety of young people and their communities.

To realise this vision, the DTH-Lab is working towards three objectives during its first phase (July 2023 to December 2026). For each objective, the Lab will focus on driving changes in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) with large youth populations: 

1. Create and promote adoption of a blueprint for digital first health systems that are co-designed and governed by young people, are responsive to their health needs, and strengthen digital health citizenship.
2. Create and drive implementation of a framework for governing health futures that provides governments, technology companies and other stakeholders with guidance on how to build a trusted and inclusive governance architecture based on data solidarity and Health for All values. 
3. Create a sustainable platform to engage governments, technology companies, youth organisations and other key actors to take coordinated actions to address the digital determinants of health. 

This meeting will bring together Geneva-based partners and stakeholders working at the intersection of health and digital governance. 

Meeting objectives:

1. Discuss the governance actions required—both within and beyond the health ecosystem—to fully realise the potential and create conditions for meaningful digital transformations for advancing health and well-being. 
2. Share current and future work being undertaken to advance health and well-being via digital transformations and, in addition, to identify opportunities for collaboration. 
3. Identify opportunities for how GIDH could support health systems to deliver equitable benefits for the health, well-being and safety of young people and their communities.

A joint statement will highlight areas of consensus among stakeholders and agreed priorities for governance action.