Weak health systems are widely recognized, even by disease-specific initiatives, as a critical obstacle to improving health. There is a far greater appreciation than before of the role of policy and systems research, be it on health financing, social participation or political analysis, in informing efforts to strengthen health systems and thus improve health.

2. Retreat participants
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3. AHSPR toward 2020
In 1999 when the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems
Research (AHPSR) was established as an international
collaboration to promote the generation and use of policy
and systems research as a means of improving health
systems, global health was dominated by debates between
vertical and horizontal approaches and between selective
and comprehensive care.
The HIV epidemic was the looming public health threat and
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were at the top
of the development agenda. A lot has changed since then.
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4. AHSPR toward 2020
Weak health systems are widely recognized, even by
disease-specific initiatives, as a critical obstacle to
improving health. There is also a far greater appreciation of
the role of policy and systems research, be it on health
financing, social participation or political analysis, in
informing efforts to strengthen health systems and thus
improve health.
These are welcome changes – some of which the Alliance
itself has contributed to – and they present an opportunity
for the Alliance to assess now what role it should play in
this new context.
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5. AHSPR toward 2020
To this end, the board of the AHPSR along with key donors
and other stakeholders, convened a strategic planning
retreat on 24-25 March in Oslo, Norway.
The aim was to define the broader vision and objectives for
the Alliance in the next five years (2016-2020) as well as
the ways in which the Alliance can work to contribute to the
greater use of policy and systems research and the
strengthening health systems in low- and middle-income
countries.
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6. AHSPR toward 2020
As part of the strategic planning process, the group
reflected on the major achievements of the Alliance in the
last 15 years, especially in raising the profile and visibility
of health policy and systems research through convening
global symposia and the development of a WHO strategy
on health policy and systems research;
stimulating debates and advancing the science through the
development of methods and new concepts;
as well as fostering collaboration and building community
through support and engagement with partners within and
outside of WHO.
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7. AHSPR toward 2020
Since 1999, Alliance research grants have enabled more
than 1,100 researchers to innovate, experiment and work
with us to hone their skills, build southern institutional
capacity and develop this nascent field.
The quality of their work is evident from the widely cited,
nearly 300 peer-reviewed publications that they have
produced, while its relevance is reflected in the more than
50 policies and practices that have been directly influenced
as a result.
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8. AHSPR toward 2020
Moving forward, a major role for the Alliance will be to
provide thought leadership for the broad range of actors in
the field: researchers, decision makers, civil society, as
well as donors.
It will do so by further refining and advancing conceptual
models and approaches for the conduct and use of HPSR
that it has developed as well as helping to set an agenda
for policy and systems research that is aligned with the
needs of decision-makers.
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9. AHSPR toward 2020
As it evolves in the coming years, the Alliance will strive to
achieve its vision and mandate not by growing in size, but
rather by growing in influence. A clear strength of the
Alliance is its strategic position within the WHO and access
to global networks of individuals and institutions.
Leveraging the influence and resources offered by these
networks will be an important priority for the Alliance in the
coming years.
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10. AHSPR toward 2020
Info about the Alliance:
http://www.who.int/alliance-
hpsr/about/alliancehpsr_brochure2012.pdf?ua=1
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