What Berlin taught me about health, politics and hope
James Tang
Students for Global Health Delegate to World Health Summit 2025
James attended the World Health Summit 2025 in Berlin through Students for Global Health. Here, he reflects on his first international conference and what its discussions on financing, conflict and resilience taught him about health as a political choice.
This was my first time attending an international conference, and I arrived in Berlin with an open mind, unsure of what to expect.
Thanks to my previous involvement in global health and politics through IFMSA and Model UN conferences, much of the content felt familiar, yet hearing these issues discussed at the highest level brought new depth and perspective.
Across sectors and borders
Speakers and participants represented a remarkable diversity of sectors and countries — from WHO and government officials to civil-society leaders, the private sector, and NGOs — offering perspectives that spanned continents. It was fascinating to observe how stakeholders with very different interests approached shared challenges such as pandemics, artificial intelligence, non-communicable diseases, the rising mental-health burden, and the impact of climate change.
Investing in health
A recurring theme across sessions was financing. Many discussions explored innovative ways to mobilise and allocate limited resources amid growing demand.
Rather than viewing health expenditure as a cost to be contained, several speakers urged us to see it as an investment in the future. While there are opportunities to make healthcare more financially sustainable, we must ensure that profit never comes at the expense of access or equity.
This requires careful policy design and systemic reform. In this regard, health is indeed a political choice.
Health under fire
The conference also highlighted the devastating effects of conflict on health.
Speakers from MSF, the Red Cross, and other organisations described deliberate attacks on hospitals and health workers — an alarming normalisation of Geneva Convention violations.
These realities remind us how fragile peace remains, and again, that health is a political choice.
Choosing hope
Politics, whether we like it or not, shapes the health of every person on the planet. Yet we must not lose hope.
Even if conflict and self-interest seem to be part of human nature, people continue to show extraordinary resilience in the face of adversity. As one speaker described vividly, a mother bringing her child for a polio vaccine in Gaza embodies that hope.
With vision, compassion, and persistence, we can let humanity shine and build a healthier, more peaceful future together.
Could Berlin be next for you?
Applications to join the Students for Global Health delegation to the World Health Summit 2026 open on Thursday 3 September.
This is an exclusive opportunity for SfGH members to attend one of the world’s leading global-health conferences, connect with people from across sectors and countries, and bring new ideas and learning back to our network.
Not yet a member? Join now to access this opportunity and many more throughout the year.