Taiwan's health minister on Monday accused China of playing politics with health after Taiwan was blocked from taking part in the annual meeting of the governing body of the World Health Organization for the first time since 2008. Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung lashed out at China's actions, which Beijing said was taken because Taiwan's year-old government has reneged on the "One China" principle.

The nonprofit develops and delivers lifesaving technologies, from fortified rice to vaccines, that help at least 150 million people around the world every year. [...] PATH’s local partners include Seattle Children’s Hospital, the University of Washington and Tableau, the Fremont-based software company now helping PATH with its effort to reduce and eventually eliminate malaria in Zambia.

While China’s presence and influence in Africa is well documented – especially regarding resource extraction – another element is increasingly becoming an important economic and political tool: traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese involvement in Africa has long included a prominent medical presence, with Beijing supporting medical efforts on the continent for decades. As China’s export capacity increased in the late 1990s and early 2000s

This Saturday, in over 500 cities worldwide, thousands of people will take to the streets for an unprecedented show of support for all things evidence-based. The range of different groups joining the March for Science — from librarians to artists to teachers to oncologists — highlight the truth behind a phrase that is often dismissed as a cliché: Science really is a universal language. And it is that universality that makes science the ideal conduit for diplomacy in this moment in history.

PEPFAR is accelerating progress toward controlling the AIDS epidemic. The program has strengthened the ability of countries with sizable HIV/AIDS burdens to swiftly address other outbreaks, such as Ebola, avian flu, and cholera, ultimately enhancing global health security and protecting America’s borders.

From March 28 to 30, Australia’s global ambassadors will be gathering in Canberra to discuss a range of topics on foreign affairs and trade. At the top of the agenda is the forthcoming Foreign Policy White Paper — the first in 14 years. The white paper will set Australia’s priorities for global engagement moving forward, including the aid program. Australia’s NGOs have had their say through an initial call for public submission.

Global health programs — supported by U.S. and other donor countries — helped leaders to prioritize health, particularly when they supported grass-roots health advocates in Africa. Global efforts establish the expectation that governments should promote health. Funding and technical assistance from Western donors, U.N. agencies and NGOs empower national efforts.