Text of the Declaration
Across the world, health equity is denied, and development assistance for health – “aid” – often reinforces the power imbalances that underlie health inequities. The priorities of Northern donors dictate the aid agenda, implemented by NGOs and Southern ‘partners’ they fund. These priorities often clash with the needs and concerns of communities, governments and civil society in many countries around the world.
The aid space is dominated by powerful interests, while the voices of those most affected by health inequity are regularly tokenised or excluded from the conversation. Many actors within the sector – even among communities and civil society – do not question the underlying premise and structures of health aid. Their own ideas and world views have been shaped by, and for, aid and the industry that supports it. Questioning aid poses challenges to the professions, livelihoods and sources of power for those who work within the sector.
Furthermore, whilst health aid is important in some situations, on its own aid can never lead to a world where all people can live healthy lives. To do so, we must tackle the underlying root causes that create and perpetuate poor health, including unfair trade agreements, tax injustice, the climate crisis, the weakness of existing guidance on health assistance, the unfettered exploitation and extraction of natural resources, under-resourced health systems, and the politico-economic incentives that reinforce those disease-producing forces. These social, commercial, economic and political determinants of health have been tolerated or ignored by aid, thereby reinforcing the health inequities that aid is meant to resolve.
We believe that collective social action in solidarity as one global community, working together to address the root causes of our struggle for health, can transform aid into an equitable means of ensuring health rights. This means acting out of compassion in the pursuit of justice, and caring, listening and helping each other in a way that promotes connectedness and equity throughout the world.
Through the Kampala Initiative, we commit to expose, explore, challenge and transform health aid through dialogue, advocacy, activism and action. We commit to build cooperation and solidarity for health, within and beyond the practice of aid, to build a future where health justice and equity are realised, and aid is no longer a necessity.
Specifically we will:
- Advance a critical analysis of aid and challenge its misuse;
- Challenge the power dynamics at the heart of aid structures;
- Acknowledge and act upon the root causes of poor health, never pretending that aid is the solution;
- Challenge damaging narratives of aid and charity where they exist;
- Correct damaging power dynamics where they exist within our own organisations;
- Collaborate in solidarity as partners in the Global South and North, to ensure that international health finance is grounded in social justice rather than neo-colonial ideas and practices.
Kampala/Geneva, 27 January 2020
- Kampala Declaration (English, PDF): KI basics – Declaration
- Kampala Declaration (German, PDF): KI basics – Declaration german
Thanks to BUKO Pharma Kampagne for this translation! - Kampala Declaration (Spanish, PDF): KI basics – Declaration spanish
Thanks to the Federation of Medicus Mundi Spain for this translation!
…further translations are welcome.
Institutional endorsements
- Abubuwa Societal Development Initiatives, Nigeria
- ACADI Cameroon
- Africa Foundation for Community Department (AFCOD-UGANDA)
- African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST)
- African Coalition on Green Growth
- African Platform for Migration and Inclusion in Health (APMIH)
- Afrihealth Optonet Association, Nigeria
- Agapewo Ministry Uganda
- Ageing Nepal
- Amel Association International
- Approche Participative Développement et Santé de Proximité (APDSP)
- ARPAN, India
- Asociacion Colombiana De Educacion Al Consumidor
- Associação Coalizão da Juventude Moçambicana
- Association pour l’Integration et le Developpement Durable au Burundi
- ATHAANG, Pune, India
- Blood patients protection council Kerala, India
- BUKO Pharma-Kampagne
- CEHURD – Center for Health Human Rights & Development, Uganda
- Centre for Community Empowerment and Sustainable Development (CESDEV)
- Centre for Health Science and Law (Canada)
- Centre for Sustainable Access to Health in Africa
- Child Watch Tanzania
- City & Hamlet Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, Nigeria
- Coalition des OSC du Bénin pour la Couverture Universelle en Santé
- Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS– Uganda)
- Connected Advocacy for Empowerment and Youth Development Initiative, Nigeria
- Country Minders for Peoples Development (CMPD), Malawi
- Dr Uzo Adirieje Foundation (DUZAFOUND), Nigeria
- Emonyo Yefwe International, Kenya
- Equal International
- Foundation for Integrated Rural Development (FIRD) , Uganda
- German Institute for Medical Mission (Difäm e.V.)
- Global Health Advocates France / Action Santé Mondiale
- Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR)
- Global Justice Now
- Global Participe
- Golden Change For Concerned Youth Forum
- Good Health Community Programmes
- Health Alliance International
- Health Poverty Action, UK
- Human Rights Research Documentation Center (HURIC), Uganda
- Indigenous Peoples Global Forum for Sustainable Development (IPFforSD)
- Initiative for good governance and transparency in Tanzania
- Innovations for Development (I4DEV)
- Innovative Alliance for Public Health (IAPH)
- Justice is Global, USA
- Kamukunji Paralegal Trust (KAPLET)
- Kasalika Community Development Organization, Malawi
- Let There Be Light International
- LiveWell Initiative LWI, Nigeria
- MauriSanté
- Medical Impact
- medico international, Germany
- Medicus Mundi International – Network Health for All (MMI)
- Medicus Mundi Spain
- Medicus Mundi Switzerland
- MUMBO international
- Muslim Family Counselling Services Ghana
- Nigeria Universal Health Coverage Actions Network (NUHCAN)
- Nigerian Women Agro Allied Farmers
- Our Lady of Perpetual Help Initiative, Nigeria
- Partners In Health
- Peace Foundation, Pakistan
- People’s Health Movement (PHM)
- People’s Health Movement Canada/Mouvement populaire pour la santé au Canada
- People’s Health Movement Kenya
- People’s Health Movement Scotland
- People’s Health Movement Uganda
- People’s Health Movement UK
- People’s Health Movement USA
- plan:g – partnership for global health
- Policies for Equitable Access to Health (PEAH)
- Public Health International Consulting Center (PHICC), Cameroon
- IMAAP Projects, Nigeria
- Public Health Organization (PHOrg), DRC
- Rose Academies
- Rwenzori Center for Research and Advocacy Uganda
- SHAPE (Support Heal and Purpose to Elevate), Kenya
- Society for Conservation and Sustainability of Energy and Environment in Nigeria (SOCSEEN)
- Southern Africa Climate Change Coalition
- Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI), Uganda
- STOPAIDS
- Sukaar welfare organization Pakistan
- The People’s Fund for Global Health and Development
- Ukana West 2 Community Based Health Initiative, Nigeria
- Union des Amis Socio Culturels d’Action en Developpement (UNASCAD), Haiti
- Viva Salud
- Volunteers Welfare for Community Based Care of Zambia (VOWAZA)
- WASH-Net Sierra Leone
- Wemos
- West African Academy of Public Health (WAAPH), Nigeria
- Wote Youth Development Projects, Kenya
- Wun Anei Development Association WADA South Sudan
- Youth and Environment Vision
- YADNET UGANDA (Youth Advocacy and Development Network)
- Zimbabwe Climate Change Coalition
List in alphabetic order. Last update in December 2023
By signing the Kampala Declaration, we confirm our commitment to advancing cooperation and solidarity within and beyond aid, alongside and as part of the Kampala Initiative. There is no specific obligation associated with signing the Declaration.Equa
Individual Endorsements
- Ahmad Nejatian, Nurse, Health Policy Activist
- Akaninyene Obot
- Alise Abadie
- Alison Rosamund Katz
- Amona Médard, Congo Brazzaville
- Angelo Stefanini, Public Health Physician
- Arnold Ikedichi Okpani, Public health worker and researcher, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Ashina Mtsumi
- Ausi Kibowa, Programme Assistant, SEATINI
- Ayushmita Hazarika-Bourne
- Babatunde Fakunle
- Baijayanta Mukhopadhyay
- Barbara Fienieg, Global health advocate, Wemos
- Barbra Nabukeera Uganda
- Benjamin Mulindwa, Project Planning and Management , Agapewo Ministry Uganda, Administrator, Jinja
- Beverly Longid, Global Coordinator, International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation
- Bjorg Palsdottir, CEO of the Training for Health Equity Network: THEnet
- Blair Musasizi, Chief Executive Officer, AFCOD-UGANDA
- Bonnie Kaiser, Associate Professor, Anthropology and Global Health, UCSD, USA
- Carlos Mediano, President Medicus Mundi International
- Caroline Aruho, Advocacy and Networking officer, HEPS-Uganda
- Christiane Boecker, Guinea
- Christy Braham
- Clea Gibson, UK
- Colleen Daniels, CD Global Consulting
- Dada Dadas, ATHAANG, Pune
- Damian Lima
- Daniel Guerrero León
- Danny Gotto, Executive Director Innovations for Development, Kampala Uganda
- David Oginga Makori
- Denis Bukenya, Coordinator HURIC and PHM Uganda
- Derrick Aaron Nsibirwa, Social Worker, Rresearch Oficer, CEHURD, Uganda
- Duchi Fejokwu, IMAAP Projects
- Elizabeth Muchoki
- Emmanuel Nembundah Tangumonkem, Executive President ACADI Cameroon; Contact Person PHM Cameroon
- Enock Musungwini, Public Health Consultant and Advisor, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Esperanza Ceron-Villaquiran
- Esther Kimani
- Evan Lee, MD, MBA – Switzerland
- Francis Ohanyido, Development Expert, President WAAPH, Abuja
- Frank Gramsen Kizza
- Frederik Federspiel
- Gift Chinyama Mwale
- Giorgio Alberto Franyuti
- Gisela Schneider, Dr med, Director Difäm e.V.
- Hamimu Masudi, Public Policy and Communication Analyst, Uganda
- Harriet Adong, Executive Director FIRD, Uganda
- Harrison Mwima, Health Activist, Zambia
- Harry Coleman
- Hazel Brearley, UK
- Hulya Yuksel, Finland
- Ian Smith
- Ibrahim Umar
- Ikwo Oka, Social Entrepreneur, Lagos, Nigeria
- Jennifer Lentfer
- Jesse Bump, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston USA
- Jens Holst
- Jessica Aiken
- Jonathan Kassibu
- Josephine McAllister
- Jostas Mwebembezi (MPH), Executive Director Rwenzori Center for Research and Advocacy
- Joviah Gonza
- Julia E Robinson
- Justice Zvaita, SACC Coalition
- Kareem Karassery
- Katie Robjent
- Kiiza Africa, SEATINI
- Kuldip Chand, Director ARPAN V&PO Dobhetta Tehsil Nangal Distt. Rupnagar Punjab
- Labila Sumayah Musoke, Human rights lawyer, Women’s health & justice initiative, Reproductive justice, Uganda
- Lance Lyle Louskieter, PhD Candidate and Researcher, Health Policy and Systems Research Division, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa
- Linda Shouro, PHM Africa Outreach Coordinator
- Lizzy Igbine
- Luke Wanjala Kapchanga
- Marco Angelo, Medical Doctor, MSc in Global Health
- Marie Solange Ngoueko, Executive Director of Public Health International Consulting Center, Cameroon
- Martin Drewry, CEO of Health Poverty Action & member of People’s Health Movement (PHM)
- Maryam Bibi Rumaney, www.mbrumaney.co, South Africa
- Matthias Wittrock
- Michael Wakelyn-Green
- Michael Ssemakula, Development Economist, HURIC
- Mohammed Bun Bida, Programmes Director, Muslim Family Counselling Services, Ghana
- Monika Peruffo, Belgium
- Myria Koutsoumpa, Global health advocate, Wemos
- Oupa Montsioa, Regional Health Manager
- Patrick Yowasi Kadama, ACHEST
- Peter Diing Ngong, Aweil (NBGs)
- Peter Owiti, Health activist, Kenya
- Pol de Vos, Belgium
- Ravi Ram, Health systems evaluator, Nairobi, Kenya
- Sara (Meg) Davis, Global Health Centre, Graduate Institute, Geneva
- Sarah Cowen-Rivers
- Sarah M Baird
- Serge Laurent Djacpou Djomo
- Siomha Cunniffe, Development and Network Manager
- Spéro Hector Ackey
- Sunit Bagree, UK
- Tess Wolfenden, UK
- Thomas Schwarz, Executive Secretary, MMI Network
- Tumainiel Mangi
- Uzodinma Adirieje, CEO/National Coordinator, Afrihealth Optonet Association (CSOs Network)
- Williams Ngwakwe
- Wilson Damien Asibu, Health Advocate, Executive Director, Country Minders for Peoples Development, Malawi
List in alphabetic order. Last update in January 2024
By signing the Kampala Declaration, we confirm our commitment to advancing cooperation and solidarity within and beyond aid, alongside and as part of the Kampala Initiative. There is no specific obligation associated with signing the Declaration.
Sign the Declaration
An online form for endorsing the Kampala Declaration is available here.
You will find initial lists of endorsements below the text of the Declaration. Please note that it might take us a day or two to add your name to the list. Get in touch with us for any enquiries.

The Kampala Initiative
The Kampala Initiative was launched in Kampala, Uganda on 16th November 2019 at the conclusion of a two-day civil society workshop and a series of public webinars. We are a civil society space and community made up of independent, critical-thinking activists and organizations from all across the world (including across both “northern” and “southern” boundaries). Visit the Kampala Initiative website for more information, and join the Kampala Initiative by endorsing the Kampala Declaration.
Kampala Initiative:
Secretariat / Contact
- Ravi Ram, People’s Health Movement
phm.esafrica@phmovement.org - Thomas Schwarz, MMI Network
schwarz@medicusmundi.org