Global health continues to reckon with its colonial underpinnings, which perpetuate a system rife with power asymmetries and health inequities. Coloniality, conceptualised as an invisible power structure that sustains colonial relations of exploitation and domination, plays an ongoing role in shaping notions of evidence and expertise across the global health architecture, including research, implementation, decision-making, and governance.

To truly effect change, we must scrutinise and work against these power dynamics, especially those hinging on patriarchy which is often overlooked as a key agent and construct of coloniality. To that end, researchers at the United Nations University’s International Institute for Global Health have been working to move beyond rhetoric to action and to embed decolonial feminist approaches in their work.

In this workshop, two of those researchers, Dr Emma Rhule and Tiffany Nassiri Ansari, will share the conceptual underpinnings of that work, reflect on the practicalities of operationalising a decolonial feminist approach, and facilitate a masterclass to strengthen a decolonial feminist mindset. Open to all, this session will be of interest to those invested in seeing more equitable global health futures shaped by and for communities.

Speakers/Facilitators:

Dr Emma Rhule, Senior Researcher, UNU-IIGH

Dr Emma Rhule is a Senior Researcher at UNU-IIGH. Her research interests centre around interrogating notions of what is considered evidence and who is considered an expert as part of broader efforts to shift power in global health and address structural inequity. Increasingly, that means adopting a decolonial feminist lens and exploring opportunities to integrate a futures and foresight approach into policy design.

With international collaboration experience including with partners in Kenya, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines, Emma is passionate about working with local experts to create safe spaces to work with diverse and under-represented voices to inform decision-making processes. Prior work includes projects to increase access to and acceptability of education for refugee and migrant youth, leading community engagement workshops for early career health researchers, and using human-centred design to help policymakers better engage with young people.

Prior to joining UNU-IIGH, Emma co-led a regional social innovation consultancy, based in Malaysia, working on projects with partners spanning civil society, government, large corporations, and UN entities including UNESCAP, UNDP, and UNICEF. Before moving to Malaysia, Emma worked at the Wellcome Trust giving her insight into global health and research from a funders’ perspective.

Ms Tiffany Nassiri-Ansari, Research Associate, UNU-IIGH

Tiffany Nassiri-Ansari holds a Bachelor’s in Arts and Social Sciences from Monash University Malaysia, where she graduated first in her class with a double major in Global Studies and Gender Studies. She has five years of experience working in research, communications, and administration.

Tiffany's work for UNU-IIGH centres around decolonial feminism, complementing her personal research interest in the intersections of inequities. Key responsibilities include supporting the Institute's programme of work on Decolonising Global Health and coordinating the IIGH-HARPS thematic issue on "Advancing Gender Equality in Health".

Learn more about how UNU-IIGH conceptualizes and applies a decolonial feminist approach in their work:

Working paper: Futures and Foresight as Tools for Global Health – This document considers what it would mean and take to integrate futures and foresight in global health.
Report: Enabling Environments to Advance Gender Equality in Health – This report captures learnings on process and content from our three-day decolonial feminist futures workshop.
Webinar/blog post: Radically Sensible: Feminist Philanthropy in Global Health – This webinar features two feminist funders in conversation with a member of our team, discussing feminist philanthropy through a decolonial feminist lens.
Webinar/blog post: Grassroots Activism at the Intersection of Gender and Health – This webinar spotlights the four youth-led feminist activist organisations we piloted our decolonial feminist approach to engagement with and touches on what is needed to work in a truly inclusive way.