This is the Chair’s message published as part of our Annual Report 2024-25

Another year of turmoil.

As I mark three years with Medact, I am painfully aware that these years have coincided with a relentless persistence of global wars and divisive politics. Wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan have now entered their third years with no resolution. The crisis in the Middle East has escalated, with strikes risking further regional upheaval. These unprecedented humanitarian crises have claimed millions of lives and annihilated entire generations – leaving many orphaned, starving, and dispossessed of their lands, homes and hope for the future.

Amid this chaos, a troubling trend emerges. Calls and measures for tightening borders, fuelled by rising anti-immigrant sentiment and ethno-nationalism, coincides with displacements driven by militarisation, genocide and increased defence spending. Investments in arms and nuclear infrastructure threaten civilian settlements and human security – e.g. 90% of people in Gaza have been displaced multiple times – highlighting the link between militarisation and human suffering.

Simultaneously, global powers are perpetuating conflict through bilateral sanctions, trade wars, aid cuts and the erosion of multilateral cooperation, undermining the science that has driven health gains. Underpinned by fascist, neoliberal and (neo)colonial legacies, these policies create conditions that risk widening inequities across countries, and populations.

Aid cuts imposed by the Trump administration in particular are reversing the gains made in health globally; a recent Lancet study estimates millions more deaths from AIDS, TB, unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions and child deaths across over 50 countries, exposing the deadly consequences of these setbacks. Global commitments to gender equality, human rights and equity are retreating, worsening conditions for the most marginalised.

In the UK, as elsewhere, growing disillusionment is evident as more people struggle to survive amidst a cost-of-living crisis, while social systems are overstretched and under strain.

This relentless loss of social, political and economic power – across both the majority and minority world – is palpable. Countering this underscores the urgent need for a countervailing power from below. Just as the epicentre of global power is shifting, with regions formerly colonised challenging old paradigms, countering sanctions, and forming new political and economic alliances, a new politics of movement building is necessary – one that articulates a new vision for health justice and activism.

At this year’s All Member Assembly, we proudly unveil Medact’s new strategy that presents this bold vision for transformative action, positioning Medact as a political home for those committed to health justice. Our strategy charts a clear path forward, defining new domains for action. Our mission is unwavering: to achieve a world where everyone can live healthy, dignified lives, supported by political and economic systems that prioritise health justice.

As WHO Director General Dr Tedros emphasised, peace is essential for resilient, equitable and healthy societies. The absence of peace, as starkly evident across all war zones, is detrimental to health, healthcare infrastructure and deepens inequities. Yet, health is a conduit for peace. Health practitioners and advocates have long highlighted the potential of health systems in mitigating conflict but also promoting peace.

The health community has a crucial role to play in uniting fractured societies, fostering trust, and working in solidarity with those facing health inequity. Medact’s 33 years of advocacy – and the efforts of health workers worldwide – stand as a testament to this. Guided by this premise, our new strategy carves out interconnected pathways for organising and collective action towards healthier and more just societies.

These include targeting the roots (material conditions) of poor health and health inequities, like housing and energy, and dismantling racist structures through abolitionist approaches to health. Guided by values of health justice, solidarity, people power, liberation and collective care, we reimagine organising as fostering deep and lasting relationships building power with communities, not for them.

In our divided world, an intersectional justice approach is not just relevant – it is indispensable. We must transcend single-issue battles, stand against all forms of oppression and politicise the self, acknowledging our power, privileges and the spaces we occupy.

As we embark on this journey, I warmly welcome Anna, Medact’s new Executive Director, who has swiftly and skilfully taken the helm to steer the organisation through turbulent times. As my tenure concludes, I plan to step aside and look forward to supporting Medact in new ways as we appoint a new Chair. The new leadership, combined with our strategic vision, and the participative development process through which we defined this vision, gives me tremendous hope for building the countervailing grassroots power that Medact aims to build with allies and friends.

Thank you for walking this journey with us, for your ongoing support and commitment to resist and reimagine. With renewed hope in our heart and unwavering determination, we move forward together.