On the 31 of March, it was held the one-day conference on Peace and Health. Organised by Academi Heddwch in collaboration with Aberystwyth University, Cymraeg and the Welsh government, the event was divided into seven different pannels each counting with distinct experts coming from academic, governmental and private spheres.
The conference aimed to address the relationship between peace and health from multiple perspectives. Staring the session, a group of four distinct experts on peace and health, discussed the implications of health in war and peaceful contexts.
“Health in war has been for long the dominant narrative. […] health costs are higher in times of war rather than peace. Not only in terms of casualties, but also in the damage to essential infrastructure, access to basic goods like food and water, and emerging diseases in combat/war camps. Plus, now there is also the use of biological weapons as means of war. […] though things change, health could be said to be a bridge to peace, influencing human dignity and sustainable development”
– Colin McInnes
The second topic of the conference focus on water sanitation, clean ecosystems and their impact on peace. Both panellist, coming from engineering and scientist backgrounds respectively, analysed and draw the public’s attention to the not always so obvious links between their engineers’ work and the repercussions that it have on health, and subsequently, “positive peace”.
The afternoon session started with the discussion on how health and peace can have different implications for migratory schemes and migrant people. Finally, the conference concluded with the intervention of two speakers, analysing and having a conversation on the topic of arts and peace and the impact that these have on our health.
The video of the session will soon be available, jointly with the presentations and slides of the panellists. To see the full list of speakers and their backgrounds, download the document attached below.