AUTHOR=McKee Martin , Figueras Josep , Kalediene Ramune , Joshi Ashish , El-Mohandes Ayman , Otok Robert , Magaña Laura , Marchandise Charlotte , Barros Henrique 

TITLE=An Agenda for Public Health Diplomacy in an Age of Populism

JOURNAL=Public Health Reviews

VOLUME=Volume 46 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/public-health-reviews/articles/10.3389/phrs.2025.1609089

DOI=10.3389/phrs.2025.1609089

ISSN=2107-6952

ABSTRACT=BackgroundPublic health is under pressure from rising populism, disinformation, and weakened global institutions, threatening cooperation, equity, and trust in science.AnalysisPopulism politicises health, suppresses evidence, and marginalises vulnerable groups. Public health diplomacy must adapt, becoming more politically aware, ethically grounded, and resilient.Policy OptionsWe propose nine ways forward: create diplomacy labs for crisis simulation; empower non-state actors like cities and NGOs; strengthen ethical communication and listening; protect health workers; build alternative accountability systems; reframe health as a diplomatic priority; decentralise and diversify funding; develop a new diplomacy curriculum; reinvent and defend multilateralism.ConclusionPublic health diplomacy must evolve into a bold, inclusive, and strategic force. By defending evidence, empowering diverse actors, and reforming institutions, it can safeguard health as a foundation for peace and global progress.