Dear Emily, thanks for your recent message on HIFA: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/bmj-how-are-social-media-influencing-va...
First, I'd like to acknowledge Clear Global (formerly Translators without Borders) as a HIFA supporting organisation and thank you for the translation help that you have offered.
Noting your comments, I wanted to highlight one of the key findings of our recent global survey (Universal Access to Reliable Healthcare Information) and the very high priority placed on languages.
In the survey we asked respondents to indicate what more WHO could do to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information, and the second highest ranking priority was 'Promote access to reliable healthcare information in languages other than English'. (The first was 'Support stakeholders to develop a strategy for universal access to reliable healthcare information'.)
In the HIFA-WHO Collaboration Plan there are five priority areas for collaboration, and one of these is to work with WHO to meet people's information needs in languages other than English. HIFA and WHO have agreed a total budget of $55,000 for this activity, and HIFA is responsible for securing the funds (none to date). We have noted Clear Global/TWB as a potential partner for this work and would be delighted to explore options with you, in a way that would simultaneously advance Clear Global's objectives. The work would start in early 2025.
For further details, please see the full plan on the WHO website: https://publicspace.who.int/sites/GEM/official_relations_details.aspx?id...
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
