During the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the European Partnership for Brain Health (EP BrainHealth) convened partners in New York to advance global collaboration on brain health. The week included a panel discussion at the Brain Days at the 81st UN General Assembly and an introductory roundtable on science diplomacy hosted by the Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the United Nations. The week’s activities conclude with the release of the Partnership’s joint statement, “A Joint Call to Advance Brain Health Through International Cooperation and Science Diplomacy”.
Panel discussion at the Brain Days
On 23 September, the EP BrainHealth took part in the Brain Days at the 81st UN General Assembly, organised by EP BrainHealth partners the European Brain Council, hosting the event’s opening panel discussion on “Fostering Global Collaboration through a European Partnership for Brain Health”. Part of a broader segment dedicated to international collaboration in brain research, the panel was preceded by two presentations: a keynote on building scientific capacity through global partnership delivered by H.E. Ambassador Luís Gallegos of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador and a presentation and discussion with Silvia Bojinova of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation.
EP BrainHealth Statement:
A joint call to advance brain health through international cooperation and science diplomacy
The panel brought together Catherine Marquer (French National Research Agency, ANR), Louise Parr-Brownlie (EP BrainHealth Co-Lead for New Zealand; University of Otago) and Patricia Conrod (Canadian Institutes of Health Research).
The session dived into the EP BrainHealth as a model for international scientific cooperation, focusing on how connecting partners across regions and disciplines can help break down silos, align research priorities, enable knowledge sharing and accelerate progress on shared brain health challenges.
Roundtable on science diplomacy for brain health
On 25 September, the Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the United Nations hosted the roundtable “Fostering Global Collaboration for Brain Health through Science Diplomacy” – marking the first in a series of events organized in the framework of the EP BrainHealth Global Outreach activities. Representatives from diplomacy, research funding, development finance, philanthropy, and academia attended. H.E. Anthony Simpson, Deputy Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the United Nations, opened the roundtable, framing the discussion around the opportunities for science diplomacy to foster greater collaboration on brain health. Keynotes and statements followed from Catherine Marquer, Louise Parr-Brownlie, Zeina Chemali (Harvard Medical School; American University of Beirut), Babatunde Omilola (African Development Bank Group), Molly Dories (National Academy of Sciences, USA) and more. Participants stressed that partnerships work when the communities closest to a problem share real decision-making power, and that addressing brain health is vital across the Global North and South, not forgetting regions in development, crisis recovery and reconstruction. They also highlighted how many countries are still missing from international brain research collaborations and discussed how the Partnership has the potential to bring the community together.
Joint statement: Sustaining global momentum of brain health
The activities in New York mark a milestone in the Global Brain Health Campaign, which aims to connect leading brain health initiatives worldwide. Feeding into the campaign, the EP BrainHealth and its partners commit to deepening collaboration in the years ahead, working across regions and sectors in inclusive and equitable partnerships to improve the wellbeing of people living with neurological and mental conditions. This work is now encapsulated in the newly released EP BrainHealth’s statement, “A Joint Call to Advance Brain Health Through International Cooperation and Science Diplomacy”, which calls for sustained international collaboration to advance brain health as a global priority. The statement notes that the scale and complexity of neurological and mental conditions exceed what any single country, discipline or institution can address alone – highlighting priority actions.
In short, the joint statement focuses on strengthening international collaboration in brain health through science diplomacy, inclusive partnerships, coordinated dialogue, responsible data sharing, and capacity-building. The aim is to connect research communities in Europe and beyond, align priorities, accelerate innovation, and ensure that all countries and populations can contribute to and benefit from advances in brain health.
