The George Institute for Global Health is delighted to invite you to our hybrid public event, Acting together for health: the role of digital tools and inclusion practices, taking place on Monday March 2 from 12:30 – 14:30 CET/17:00 – 19:00 IST.
Register here!
Social participation – defined by WHO as empowering people, communities, and civil society through inclusive participation in decision-making processes that affect health across the policy cycle and at all levels of the system – is essential for building resilient, people-centred health systems and achieving universal health coverage (UHC) as well as other Sustainable Development Goals related to equality, partnership and progress.
For The George Institute’s Social Participation for Health Engagement, Research and Empowerment (SPHERE) project, digital platforms – such as messaging apps and social media – have become vital tools for enabling participation where geography, safety, or social barriers limit in-person engagement. As digital platforms increasing shape how communities connect, organize, advocate, and participate in decisions that affect their health, understanding their potential – and their limitations – has never been more important.
This hybrid public event brings together global partners from the SPHERE project and newly-initiated SUNWAI project to explore how digital platforms can support inclusive and meaningful social participation for health, especially for hard-to-reach groups. The event will also highlight the importance of systematically documenting social participation for health efforts to support learning, knowledge sharing, and effective monitoring and evaluation of social participation for health at sub-national, national and global levels.
This discussion is especially timely given that in May 2026 at the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, Member States will review progress on the implementation of the 2024 WHA resolution, Social Participation for UHC, health and well-being. By sharing concrete experiences from SPHERE and looking forward to the upcoming work of SUNWAI, this event will contribute practical insights into how well-documented, inclusive, community-driven and digitally enable approaches can accelerate implementation of this resolution.
The session will include:
- Case studies from Argentina, India and Vietnam showcasing inclusive practices and the use of digital tools to strengthen social participation for health.
- A panel discussion with SPHERE and SUNWAI partners, focusing on how digital tools can build advocacy capacity and how documenting participation efforts can support the implementation of the WHA resolution.
- Two interactive Q&As with all speakers – one immediately after the case study presentations and another after the panel discussion.
If you plan to attend the event in person, please confirm your participation by emailing Charu Khatter Sharma at csharma@georgeinstitute.org.in.
