Like all Royal Medical Colleges and Faculties, the Faculty of Public Health has our members woven into its fabric. We exist because of them, for them, and will always seek to be responsive to our diverse membership and best serve their collective interests.
As public health professionals we are united by a belief that no one’s chance for a healthy, fulfilling life should be determined by where they live, their beliefs, their identity, or the circumstances into which they were born. Though we share in this conviction, our specialty is broad – spanning a huge range of issues – and the Faculty’s 6,000 members reflect this diversity in their professional and personal backgrounds. Being a public health professional in the 21st century also means operating within complex and interconnected systems and circumstances, with global migration, rising conflict, the recognition of colonial legacies, climate breakdown, and widening health inequalities meaning that public health is increasingly called to address global challenges that cut across borders.
Over the past 50 years the Faculty has been asked to issue statements or provide comment on a range of humanitarian emergencies and conflicts, whether abroad or in the UK. These are diverse in nature, and are often deeply emotive matters, with many of our members directly or indirectly affected. The Faculty, as a professional membership body and registered charity, must always act within our charitable remit whilst never ignoring the profound consequences of conflict and disaster. Our charitable objects and standing orders are the principles that guide everything we do and outline our responsibilities to promote the advancement of education in public health, to develop public health with a view to maintaining the highest possible standards of professional competence and practice, and to act as an authoritative body for the purpose of consultation in matters of educational or public interest concerning public health.
We absolutely respect the right of our members to advocate on a diverse range of issues, and we will always protect the right of members to appropriately raise concerns without fear of prejudice, but as a Faculty we must act within the boundaries of charity law and our standing orders. As a professional membership body the Faculty also needs to support our entire membership to feel comfortable and safe as part of the whole membership community and profession. We are not a political or partisan body, and that means we must weigh carefully how and when we can act.
The newly published Faculty policy on responding to international humanitarian emergencies and conflicts provides clarity, consistency and transparency. It sets out how the Faculty will listen to members, assess each situation, and take action where we can meaningfully contribute to protecting and improving health within our remit. Sometimes this will mean public advocacy, at other times it may involve quieter but equally important forms of influence such as letters to Ministers or meetings with decision-makers, leveraging our position as an organisation to advocate for public health.
Since the Faculty was established in 1972 there have been a huge number of conflicts and humanitarian crises. Today there are 172 active conflicts worldwide, each bringing profound humanitarian consequences and impacting our membership and the wider public health community in diverse ways. There can be no hierarchy when it comes to the health of populations; every life matters, and every conflict has a cost. Our new policy is designed for longevity, giving the Faculty a framework to guide our responses for years to come, and ensuring that our actions remain consistent, appropriate, and rooted in our charitable aims.
We are publishing this policy openly, so that our members and stakeholders can see clearly how we approach these matters. Alongside this, we are currently working closely with Faculty members, including Specialty Registrars, on a survey exploring new ways of working in this area, and we are exploring creating a safe space where colleagues can come together to discuss approaches to advocacy and share learning.
What this new policy makes clear is that we will not be passive. We will continue to listen, learn, and act where it serves our mission of better health for all. This policy provides us with a framework to act with integrity, ensuring that as an organisation we can support our members, protect our independence, and continue to advocate for the health of all people, everywhere. Our responses will always be guided by evidence, ethics, and public health principles. This may mean advocating for the protection of public health systems under strain, supporting our members who are directly affected by conflict or crises, or working in partnership with others across the global public health community.
I am deeply grateful to members who have raised their voices on these issues. Your engagement has strengthened this policy and will continue to shape how we work into the future. Together, we will continue to advocate for a world where every person, everywhere, has the opportunity to live a healthy life.
