REVIEW
Public Health Rev.
Diplomatic Monocultures in Public Health Diplomacy: A Narrative Review on Conference Equity, Participation and Visibility
- ME
Martin Ernst 1
- LM
Lars Münter 2,3
- AS
Adam Skali 4
- ET
Eva Turk 1
1. Center for Digital Health & Social Innovation, University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten, St. Pölten, Austria
2. Nordic Wellbeing Academy, Birkeroed, Denmark
3. European Health Futures Forum, Edergole – Dromahair, Ireland
4. CIeS e-Health Innovation Center, University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco
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Abstract
Objectives: Public health diplomacy increasingly unfolds under polycrisis conditions shaped by pandemics, conflict, demographic change, climate-related shocks, governance turbulence, and the infodemic. This narrative review examines conference equity, participation, and visibility as governance-relevant mechanisms within public health diplomacy. Methods: We conducted a narrative synthesis of recent literature on global health governance, public health diplomacy, conference participation, diversity and inclusion, digital and hybrid convening, and equity-oriented capacity building. Results: The synthesis indicates that participation and visibility gaps across gender, geography, country income context, career stage, language, mobility, and institutional resources can shape whose expertise is recognized, which agendas become prominent, and which coalitions form. We conceptualize these patterns as "diplomatic monocultures" that may narrow policy imagination, weaken legitimacy, and constrain capacity building. The review further identifies digital and hybrid formats as potential equity mechanisms only when designed to support comparable visibility, interaction, and influence. Conclusion: Conference equity should be treated as a public health diplomacy lever. We propose a multi-level roadmap for organizers, institutions, funders, and governance actors to strengthen equitable participation and more context-responsive global health governance.
Summary
Keywords
capacity building, conferences, Equity, global health governance, infodemic
Received
24 February 2026
Accepted
21 May 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Ernst, Münter, Skali and Turk. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Martin Ernst; Eva Turk
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.