"Has your resilience ever been fractured? Do you yearn to express solidarity in a pragmatic way? Have you signed an MOU? (Or even heard of an MOU?) These sentences contain some of the buzzwords likely to be relevant in the world of global health and development in 2026 according to our informal survey of 20 experts who work in the field."
"Resilience, of course, is a trait that everyone wants: The ability to face adversity and stand firm, triumphing over obstacles. Unfortunately, resilience is as vulnerable as our bones. And in the 21st century, resilience will face mounting challenges. Here's one example. Nishad Jayasundara has been traveling to his homeland of Sri Lanka to research chronic health conditions for nearly a decade now."
"Record rainfall created floods that washed away medical equipment and beds at health centers in Sri Lanka. Clean water for kidney dialysis was unavailable and delays in dialysis "can mean the end of life for somebody, right?" says Jayasundara. The disaster "essentially halted all health care provisions in some of these places." Jayasundara calls this an example of fractured resilience when a series of unfortunate events halts the ability to serve"
Global health and development face converging pressures from large foreign aid reductions, climate-driven disasters, conflict, and persistent disease threats that undermine service delivery. Cuts include dismantling major agencies and termination of billions in aid, while multiple Western donors have reduced assistance. Extreme weather events and environmental exposures exacerbate chronic conditions and damage health infrastructure, causing disruptions such as lost dialysis water supplies and destroyed medical equipment. These combined shocks can overwhelm local capacities, producing 'fractured resilience' where successive crises halt healthcare provision and impede long-term research and prevention efforts, especially in vulnerable communities dependent on fragile health systems.
Read at www.npr.org
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