The International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) is noted to be transformative platform for Africa’s health. CPHIA, a flagship conference of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and prevention (Africa CDC) and African Union Member States is a unique annual event that connects political leaders, policy makers, private sector and community actors with scientists and programme implementers. This platform provides an opportunity for Africans to have open dialogue on critical issues impacting its health and to share new scientific breakthroughs and innovations with potential to catalyse positive change. CPHIA 2026 is under the theme Africa's Health Security and Sovereignty.
Jobs and Announcements
5th International Conference on Public Health in Africa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 23-27 November 2026
Addressing Environmental Drivers of Health to Advance Health Equity: an Intergenerational Dialogue
GCHA, Youth Climate and Health Network (YCHN), the WHO Youth Council – Planetary Health Working Group, Amplify Health and Development in Africa (AHDA), and Save the Children: 11th October 2026, Berlin
Climate change and other environmental drivers are shaping health outcomes across generations, and children and young people are among those most affected. This roundtable brings together a wide range of stakeholders to share lived experiences and to highlight youth- and community-led solutions, policy examples, and cross-sector collaborations. Designed as a participatory dialogue, participants will shape recommendations on priority areas for intergenerational cooperation to advance health equity.
Human Health and Climate Change
UN CC: e learn, Online courses, 2026/7
The UN offers an online short course that explores challenges and opportunities on climate change and health, combining theory with practical examples to give participants the tools to advocate for climate and health policies that protect people, strengthen resilience, and promote a healthier, more sustainable future. Over 34,000 learners worldwide who have already taken this engaging course on human health and climate change. The course explores how climate change impacts health through heatwaves, air pollution, and shifting disease patterns. Learn how stronger health systems and climate-smart policies can protect communities, while actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions also bring major health benefits. Through interactive exercises, real-world case studies, and a wealth of resources, this course makes complex issues easy to understand and act on.
The Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) 2027
AMREF Afrcia, Government of Rwanda, Kigali Convention Centre, 28 Feb - 3 Mar 2027
Global health is changing, with a shrinking aid landscape and shifting geopolitics. Climate threats are intensifying. Pandemics, infectious diseases, and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases continue to test health systems across the continent. Meanwhile, inequities persist, leaving millions without access to the care they need and deserve. AHAIC 2027 brings together governments, communities, youth leaders, researchers, investors, frontline health workers, innovators, private sector leaders, and development partners to shape what a new world health order should look like, one grounded in equity, resilience, sovereignty, and African leadership.
18th World Congress On Public Health: Health Without Borders: Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability
Cape Town, South Africa: 6-9 September, 2026
The 18th World Congress on Public Health (WCPH) will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, organised by the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) in collaboration with the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) unites public health professionals, policymakers, and advocates to address the world's pressing health challenges. Taking place for the first time in Southern Africa, the event offers a powerful platform for African voices to engage in and contribute to global public health conversations. The theme, "Health Without Borders: Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability," reflects the urgent need for collective action in a world shaped by conflict, political instability, epidemics, and systemic injustice. Key thematic areas include equity in healthcare access, inclusive and diverse health policies, and the building of sustainable and resilient health systems. Registration is online. Delegates can expect dynamic workshops, networking opportunities with global health leaders, and the development of actionable strategies to advance health equity worldwide.
18th World Congress On Public Health: Health Without Borders: Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability, Cape Town, South Africa, September 2026
Deadline for Abstracts: 31 January 2026
The World Congress on Public Health (WCPH) is held biennially by the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA). The 18th WCPH 2026, organized in collaboration with the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA), will be held in Cape Town. Over 2,000 delegates are expected to attend, exchanging insights on critical global public health challenges and advancing sustainable and equitable public health worldwide. For the first time, the WCPH will take place in Southern Africa, offering a powerful platform for African voices to engage and contribute to global public health conversations and collaborations. The theme of this congress is, “Health without Borders: Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability,” highlighting the global public health community’s unwavering commitment to envisioning and implementing fair and practical solutions to the world’s complex challenges.
9th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR2026), Dubai, November 2026
Deadline for Abstracts: Organised and Capacity Strengthening 14 Jan; Individual Sessions 13 March
The theme for HSR2026 is "Future-Focused Health Systems in a Changing World" will focus discussion around four sub-themes: Politics and Polycrises; Plurality and Partnerships; Platforms and Participation; Pathways and Planet. Detailed information about the sub themes can be found on the website. Across all four sub-themes, there are three session types in which one can submit an abstract.
Young Scientist Summer Program (YSSP) at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Deadline for Applications: 12 January 2026
The Young Scientist Summer Program (YSSP) at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), is currently accepting applications to its 2026 program. The program, which takes place from June to August, is designed for PhD students (ideally about 2 years prior to receiving their PhD) working on a topic compatible with ongoing research at IIASA and a wish to explore the policy implications of their work. Participants will be working under the direct mentorship of an experienced IIASA scientist in a unique interdisciplinary and international research environment. They will produce a paper (serving as first step towards a publishable journal article) and will get the opportunity to build up contacts for future collaboration within the institute's worldwide network. Applications are particularly welcome from candidates interested in human-centred and population-based approaches to understanding drivers of population change, sustainable development, and wellbeing.
2nd biennial Uganda National Conference on Health, Human Rights and Development (UCHD 2025)
3-5 September, 2025, Kampala, Uganda
The 2nd biennial Uganda National Conference on Health, Human Rights and Development (UCHD 2025) will build on the momentum and successes of the UCHD 2023 conference, which emphasized health as a human right and a cornerstone for realizing Sustainable Development Goals. The 2023 conference, through its outcome document, the Kampala Declaration on Health, Human Rights, and Development recognized the right to health as fundamental to achieving Uganda’s Vision 2040.
Hospitals Under Fire: Lawfare and the attack on care
Geneva Graduate Institute, Queen Mary University: Online Tuesday, September 23, 2025 12:30-14:00 CET
Despite the protections of international humanitarian law, the systematic targeting of healthcare facilities in modern warfare remains a tragic and increasingly recurring reality. From Gaza to Syria, Ukraine to Sudan and Myanmar, the destruction of healthcare facilities raises urgent questions about the limits of the law, the elasticity of the Geneva Conventions, and the moral failure of the international community to enforce basic protections. Legal frameworks provide for the safeguarding of healthcare facilities during conflict, yet wide gaps exist in the way such laws can be interpreted, allowing belligerents to justify, obscure, or deny such attacks. Bringing together researchers, humanitarian professionals, and global health experts, this event will interrogate the normative failures and political complicities that allow such attacks to proliferate. Registration opens August 25, 2025 at www.ghplatform.org.