Exploring Partnership Governance in Global Health

Solving the world's health challenges requires multidisciplinary collaborations that bring together the talents, experiences, resources, and ideas from multiple sectors. These collaborations in global health frequently occur through public–private partnerships (PPPs) in which public and private parties share risks, responsibilities, and decision-making processes with the objective of collectively and more effectively addressing a common goal. However, these numerous stakeholders bring varying strengths and resources to global health partnerships, but they also bring their own organizational cultures, regulations, and expectations. Managing partnerships among them is complex and requires intentional and thoughtful governance. Over the last several decades, as the number of interested stakeholders, resources invested, and initiatives launched within the global health field has grown, effective governance of global health PPPs has become increasingly critical.

To explore the role of governance in PPPs for global health, the Forum on Public–Private Partnerships for Global Health and Safety convened a workshop. Participants explored best practices, common challenges, and lessons learned in the varying approaches to partnership governance. They also highlighted key issues in the governance of PPPs for global health with the goal of increasing their effectiveness in improving health outcomes. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.