Submission ID 118541
| Issue/Objective | Power imbalances and funding inequalities have long marred global health research collaborations between differentially resourced partners. Documenting and learning from best practices in such collaborations is key to re-imagining a more equitable global health ecosystem. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Drawing on data from a multi-country qualitative study conducted to identify conceptualizations and practices of solidarity in global health, this paper presents findings from a subset of participants from research institutions within the global north and south. The participants in this paper are managers and directors of global health research institutes working with historically marginalized populations. |
| Results | Participants described several key characteristics of best practices of solidarity in collaborations between more and lesser resourced research partners. Accounts of ethical and effective collaboration included an emphasis on presence, mutual accountability, and a collective orientation towards social and health equity. Participants also highlighted that solidarity in global health research hinges on good relationships, but also actioned commitments grounded in recognition of shared humanity and reflexive practice. From capacity strengthening initiatives to community driven conduct and systemic criticisms, solidarity emerged as a dynamic interplay between a felt and articulated mutuality, and action. It is enacted not only in research collaborative teams but also through research networks and cross-generational mentorship. Importantly, the data surfaces critical tensions, particularly around scientific colonialism and extractive collaborations, that challenge simplistic narratives of unity. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | The paper advances a nuanced conceptualisation of solidarity: one that resists instrumentalization, centres local agency, and calls for structural transformation within research ecosystems. In so doing, it contributes to a reimagining of research as a space for ethical co-creation and mutual growth. |
| Presenters and affiliations | Mary Ndu Western University Elysee Nouvet Western University Julian Natukunda University of Oxford |
