Launch of the Lancet Commission on Conflict Health & Migration at the World Health Assembly
In May 2026, the CHH-Lancet Commission report on health, conflict and forced displacement was launched as a side event at the World Health Assembly. SPHN committee members, Prof Fouad Fouad and Dr Aula Abbara contributed as commissioners and & Dr Munzer Alkhalil as a Next Generation Scholar. Read the full report here
Dr Aula Abbara (commissioner) and Dr Munzer Alkhalil (Next Generation Scholars) joined Dr Richard Horton (Lancet,) Ana Mateus (Lancet,) Prof Paul Spiegel and other speakers at the ‘Health in a world of crisis and impunity’ event at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on 23rd July 2026. Dr Munzer spoke of the importance of effective localization in the humanitarian sector and of his work on health system governance while Dr Aula spoke of the health emerging health priorities in conflict and humanitarian settings. The recording will be available here shortly: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/events/health-in-world-crises-and-impunity
Syria Public Health Network
The Syria Public Health Network was established in early 2015 in response to calls for an independent and critical assessment of the humanitarian and health response to the conflict, from colleagues working in Syria and the wider region. The aim is to create an independent space for discussion, analysis and policy generation for the types of health strategies and interventions which are effective in the context of the Syria crisis. Our work has included closed meetings, events, projects and consultancies relating to the Syrian healthcare workforce, Syria’s health system as well as key health issues including mental health, non-communicable diseases and communicable diseases.
Since the fall of the regime in December 2024, we have expanded our vision of creating and supporting a network of Syrian public health professionals in Syria and internationally.
What We Do
We aim to provide a space for dialogue, advocacy and analysis on issues important to the health of Syrians including current as well as future public health trends that have arisen from the Syrian crisis. We do this through i. Convening and curating closed meetings with representatives from donor agencies, United Nations and those working-on-the ground to address the challenges they face and possible policy responses ii. Hosting open meetings to highlight key health issues and humanitarian response issues iii. Producing and disseminating policy briefs, academic outputs and media editorials.
During 2026, our main themes of work are: i. Health System Governance during early recovery ii. The impact of climate variability and environment on health iii. Syria’s Healthcare workforce: retention, resilience and return iv. Strengthening the public health workforce v. The role of Syria’s diaspora during Health System recovery
Announcements
New in 2026: Launch of the LET’S TALK PUBLIC HEALTH series
In the first quarter of 2026, we launched our ‘Let’s Talk Public Health’ series, just over one year since the former Syrian regime fell. The idea behind this series was to hear from Syrian public health experts about different perspectives on the public health challenges faced in Syria during early recovery. Dr Naser Almhawish MD MPH, SPHN Committee Member and Public Health Specialist says “This series has provided both public health specialists and wider audiences to engage with leaders in public health in Syria; they have been able to hear about their journeys, their work in Syria and the approaches being taken at this critical time in rebuilding Syria’s public health infrastructure. We have deliberately run the sessions in Arabic as our aim is to engage with people in Syria and hear their perspectives.” So far, we have delivered monthly sessions with experts covering topics such as health system governance, infectious diseases outbreaks, non-communicable diseases and research. Stay tuned for more sessions and prescribe to our newsletter to stay updated.
Next session on Sunday 27th September 2026 at 1700 Syria
Register here
This session will explore the concept of Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on what it means for people and communities to access the health services they need, of appropriate quality, without facing financial hardship.
The discussion will then turn to the Syrian context, reviewing the steps taken so far toward advancing UHC, the progress achieved, and the major challenges that continue to affect equitable and sustainable access to health services.
The session will also consider the way forward for Universal Health Coverage in Syria, including future priorities related to service organization, health financing, the health workforce, and equitable access to care.
In December 2024, we launched a rapid review of the operational considerations for priority communicable diseases in Syria during early recovery
In this rapid review, communicable diseases experts who had worked on public health surveillance and outbreaks during Syria’s conflict, explored priority communicable diseases – ranging from vaccine preventable diseases to waterborne and vector-borne diseases – to highlight the main operational public health considerations during early recovery – read more: Operational Public Health Considerations focused on Infectious Diseases in the evolving Syrian context – a rapid review
Publications
Latest News
Operational Public Health Considerations focused on Infectious Diseases in the evolving Syrian context – a rapid review
On 8th December 2024, the Assad regime fell, leaving the country devastated by years of protracted conflict and widespread damage to infrastructure, including health and public health infrastructure. More than half of the pre-conflict