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Global Health Policy
The right to health is a fundamental human right. Realizing this right requires access to quality health services. This access is also essential for social and economic development. IDRC’s Global Health Policy program supports research in low- and middle-income countries that targets the root causes of inequity and poor health and that will inform effective policymaking. We fund research that helps improve health systems so countries and communities can meet the health challenges they face.

Global Health Policy’s four programs support research on 
  • issues of equity in access to quality primary care 
  • policies to prevent non-communicable disease 
  • health concerns shared by five Canadian federal agencies and that supports the global health research community 
  • a discovery science program that integrates innovation in technical, social, and economic aspects of health 
 

Development Innovation Fund

The Government of Canada established the Development Innovation Fund (DIF) in 2008.The Fund aims to support the best minds in the world as they search for breakthroughs in global health and other areas that have the potential to bring about enduring changes in the lives of millions of people in poor countries.
 

Global Health Research Initiative

The Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI) is a partnership of three Canadian government agencies and departments. The program funds health research and research capacity-building in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Governance for Equity in Health Systems

Governance for Equity in Health Systems (GEHS) supports research in developing countries that examines inequities in health systems and addresses the root causes of poor health. Our research partners study the functioning of health systems, including health financing, information systems, primary...
Mathare woman smoking

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention

The Non-Communicable Disease Prevention program works to generate new knowledge that provides rigorous evidence for the development and implementation of cost-effective policies to prevent non-communicable disease.​

Latest Projects

The emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases affecting Brazil today result from complex interactions between natural and human systems. Zoonotic diseases such as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, rabie

Latest Projects

Climate change poses a significant threat to agrarian societies in tropical regions. In Punjab, which produces more than half of India's annual food grain production, there is rising uncertainty in th

Latest Projects

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play an important role in helping communities prepare for and adapt to the effects of climate change. Various projects can attest to the potential

Latest Projects

The Fifth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD2012) will take place 12-15 March 2012 at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in At

Latest Projects

This grant will support a program of fellowships and workshops on the link between security, organized crime, drugs and democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The program is expected to h

Latest Results

The IDRC-funded Municipal Services Project launched two books in March 2012 exploring alternatives to the privatization of basic public services. Both books are available for free online. Remunicipalisation: Putting Water Back into Public Hands...

Latest Results

In several Latin American countries, a selective approach to the delivery of primary health care in the past few decades has skewed access to a limited number of services to specific vulnerable populations. The result: fragmented health systems with...

Latest Results

Health care systems in many African countries are undergoing decentralization, institutional reform and cost recovery. These reforms aim to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of health services. However, high levels of ill health —...

Latest Results

Africa, a new frontier for tobacco companies, is witnessing a smoking epidemic. These short videos provide an introduction to tobacco use in Africa, some of the successes in addressing the devastating effects of tobacco use, and the challenges to...

Latest Results

Sustainable partnerships. Community engagement. Impact on health policy and practice. These are among the common themes in a collection of 10 case studies showcasing effective global health research. The case studies appear in a special supplement...
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IDRC funds researchers in the developing world so they can build healthier, more prosperous societies
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