The Commercial Determinants of Health: the elephant in the room
November 21, 2023, Neude Library
During the European Conference on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH), held from November 20-23, 2023, in Utrecht, Van Hier Naar [...] and the Global Health Knowledge Center organized two public dialogues for the ECTMIH conference at the Neude Library in Utrecht.
The first public dialogue, "The Commercial Determinants of Health: The Elephant in the Room," was an English-language session. In this engaging event, participants were invited to delve into the profound impact of commercial forces on global well-being. Introduced by the WHO in March 2023, the concept of commercial determinants highlights hidden forces affecting health, from the marketing of unhealthy products to the influence of pharmaceutical giants on health policy. The public discussion aimed to achieve several key objectives:
- Raising awareness: Shedding light on these determinants and their complex links to social, political, and economic factors.
- Promoting dialogue: Facilitating much-needed public discourse with stakeholders from various sectors.
- Advocating for policy recognition: Emphasizing the importance of acknowledging commercial determinants in policies to protect public health.
This discussion featured three renowned experts on the topic:
- Nicholas Freudenberg is a Distinguished Professor of Public Health at the City University of New York and author of several books on the subject, including At What Cost and Lethal but Legal.
- Floor Haalboom is a historian of science specializing in modern environmental history.
- Ankie van Wersch-Lenders is CEO of Enviu, an organization supporting businesses and initiatives aimed at creating a positive impact on society.
