More than 240 organisations join initiative to promote scientific evidence, strengthen health policy and improve public understanding of science
By Bunmi Yekini
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday launched a global initiative bringing together more than 240 organisations to strengthen public trust in science and promote the use of scientific evidence in improving health and development.
The initiative, known as Together for Science and Health, was launched to coincide with World Science Day for Peace and Development, with activities taking place across 12 events in different countries and regions.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and French President Emmanuel Macron are leading the launch, which is also linked to the Paris Peace Forum, a platform for international diplomacy and multilateral cooperation.
Tedros said science had played a central role in improving health outcomes through vaccines, medicines, disease prevention and responses to disease outbreaks.
“Science is one of humanity’s most powerful tools, and has always been the engine of better health,” he said.
He said the new movement would bring WHO and its partners together to promote evidence-based decision-making, build public confidence in science and encourage innovation as foundations for healthier societies.
The initiative will focus on three priorities: strengthening connections between science and society, increasing the use of scientific evidence in health policy-making, and improving how scientific information is communicated and discussed.
Participating organisations are expected to share resources, experiences and effective approaches while developing partnerships to ensure scientific advances translate into benefits for communities.
WHO said public confidence in scientific evidence had been essential to many major health advances, including disease detection and prevention, the development of new medicines, outbreak response and improvements in healthcare delivery.
Sylvie Briand, WHO Chief Scientist and Assistant Director-General a.i. for Health Systems, Access and Data, said building trust in science required cooperation across institutions, countries and communities.
“No institution, country or community can build and sustain trust alone,” she said, describing the movement as a platform for dialogue and collaboration rather than division.
Briand said the initiative would bring together stakeholders around the understanding that science was a shared resource capable of supporting healthier, fairer and more resilient societies.
The launch comes amid rapid technological changes, particularly the growing influence of artificial intelligence, which are reshaping how people access, interpret and share scientific and health information.
WHO said the movement would help strengthen public engagement with science and equip people to understand and use scientific evidence with greater confidence.
The global health agency is inviting organisations and institutions worldwide to join the initiative, contribute their expertise and networks, and support efforts to ensure that trusted science leads to better health outcomes for all.