From promises to action; creating focused partnerships in violence reduction

Purpose We run an international network of country partners to share technical expertise on interpersonal violence prevention and to enable the development and implementation of multisectoral policy. This is a collaborative project led by the University of St Andrews and the WHO Violence and Injury Prevention team with support from the Scottish Government.

Methods Four countries were selected, based on agreed criteria, to form a network for technical exchange. An International Colloquium was hosted to bring together experts and policy makers to show case models of best practice and to explore areas for strengthening collaboration. The programme, which was participatory in format, culminated in each country making three pledges. A programme of technical exchange has been put in place to support delivery of the pledges within an agreed timeframe. The reporting back of progress will have begun before the date of the APHA meeting.

Outcomes This presentation will focus upon the challenges and enablers of constructing an international network of committed country partners, catalysing country level action and facilitating implementation through technical exchange. The contribution of this programme to the development of an evidence base for the impact of national violence prevention policies and programmes within low-and middle-income countries will be explored.

Conclusions This is an innovative example of country led shared learning for violence prevention. This session will present the value of international partnerships and identify the necessary mechanisms to support the translation of the good will of partners into committed action on the ground.