International Conference on Health Research for Development

International Conference on Health Research for Development,
10-13 October 2000, Bangkok

Statement by State Secretary Sigrun Møgedal,
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Madam Chair,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Last year in the Global Forum it was noted that not many political decision makers were present. Now that I am in the political arena, this meeting has remained part of my programme, to help me keep in touch with reality and to keep me accountable.

In a political perspective, my message is that I am no less convinced of the role of research in development and international health. We need expanded knowledge and new technologies, and we need to use such knowledge more effectively at all levels in order to improve policy and practice.

I want to stress three main points:

¨ Overcoming poverty and inequity means focussing on the issues and questions arising from poverty and inequity.

¨ The way we shape these questions and turn them into research and feed the results back to policy is essential.

¨ The way we conduct our relations with our partners in cooperation is critical.

We talk a lot about globalisation these days. The potential of knowledge in linking up and producing global public goods is obvious. Research partnerships have shown us how to overcome political barriers and instability, but they need to be nurtured.

At a meeting in Oslo in May 2000, participants from a number of donor countries and organisations met to present and review their programmes of support for research in developing countries. The participants shared the view that the North-South knowledge gap cannot be bridged unless more consideration is given to development issues in regular research funding, and to research in regular development funding. In addition, national institutions in the South should have a much greater opportunity to participate actively in setting priorities and in defining the international research agenda. In this respect great responsibility rests with the research funders to pave the way for closer and more coordinated dialogue between all stakeholders in research. And a great responsibility rests with the research community to engage in dialogues which policy makers can understand.

Madam Chair,

The global dialogue about new structures for international health research - thoroughly debated in the preparations for the Bangkok conference - is of great importance. The research donor community must take an active part in this discussion and must be willing to adjust its priorities and strategies. In the preparations for Bangkok, a number of regions reported great problems when relating to the rather complex structure of funding and policy institutions.

I am not entirely sure that we have reached a point where major reforms have to be implemented. But the right questions are now being asked. What is essential is an arena for bringing the many stakeholders together, to facilitate an exchange of views, to assign priorities and to foster synergies and accountability. All the mechanisms do not necessarily have to be money bags. What counts is links and commitment to make major actors like the WHO fulfil its potential and role. This has to be backed up by a true commitment to the task of avoiding duplication and clearly defining the distribution of labour and responsibility.

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It is appropriate at this stage to challenge the very basis for the title of my brief intervention: "The donor perspective". What we are discussing this morning cannot be reduced to a question of a donor-recipient relationship. I represent a partner in global research. It is not we and you, but rather us. To make the research relevant, and in order to facilitate the utilisation of research results for health improvement and poverty reduction, a true partnership is needed. Through genuine partnership, creativity, new perspectives and real commitment, the research conducted will prove to be of great relevance for the health challenges being addressed so extensively at this conference. We need the creativity and the urge, and even the anger, to move the 10/90 agenda forward.

Madam Chair,

We all relate to health research for development both bilaterally and multilaterally. The large variety of instruments and mechanisms in itself could be a strength, making the international system for research funding flexible. There is, however, a need for better synergies and stronger links, and for a more coherent approach to partnership.

There is also a clear need to address the problem of the national and international fragmentation of research funding. I am not ready to offer a "global grand scheme" for research support in the health field. In our task of further developing the international health research architecture, I would, however, like to underline the need for more concerted action, the need for maintaining regular meeting places, the need for exchange of information, and not least, the need for basing cooperation on local and national priorities. This is also what has been stressed in the 10/90 Report, that is: the task of helping to build health research capacity at the national level, through collaborative efforts. There are new opportunities in public-private partnerships in various areas, such as vaccines and drugs, which need to be used to their full potential.

To be able to take on this responsibility, more attention should be given to the national dialogue between the research community, institutions of higher learning, decision-makers and local administrations. From Bangkok we would like to see a sound follow-up at the national level. We have to ask ourselves how the plan of action can be integrated into national health plans and national R&D strategies. The development of appropriate national mechanisms for priority setting, such as national research councils working in close cooperation with universities, must be supported.

Based on our experience, we are confident that North-South academic collaboration programmes, and not least South-South cooperation, linking research and training, are important measures.

Madam Chair,

The Bangkok conference and its convenors have put new energy into health research for development. We have focussed on ethics in health research in a broader perspective. The Conference will now set the global health research agenda for years to come. Consequently, I think it is extremely important that we agree on ways and means to safeguard national ownership of the process and its outcome, and remain accountable to poor people in the way we exercise stewardship over knowledge. This is necessary in order to fully realise the human capacity.

Thank you.