From May 12–14, 2025, over 40 palliative care leaders, practitioners, researchers, and advocates from around the world gathered in the historic heart of Dublin at Notre Dame’s O’Connell House for a truly transformative experience—the Collaborating for Global Impact Workshop, co-organized by Global Partners in Care (GPIC) and the Elea Institute.
As a participant, I was deeply moved by the energy, vision, and collective spirit that infused every moment of this workshop. Designed with the intention of catalyzing a unified global movement for equitable access to palliative care, the event brought together voices from across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East. This rich diversity laid the foundation for a uniquely inclusive and strategic dialogue.
Building Shared Vision and Momentum
Day 1 opened with a powerful visioning session using Human-Centered Design, led by our facilitation partners from Humaniterra, where we imagined a world where palliative care is not a privilege but a universal standard. It was a grounding exercise—one that not only aligned our aspirations but made space for deeply personal and regional reflections. What followed was an honest and rigorous gap analysis, where we tackled challenges like underfunded mandates, fragmented strategies, and the lack of community voice in decision-making.
By the end of the day, we had collectively voted on the most urgent strategic gaps, formed co-creation groups, and planted the seeds for collaborative action.
From Vision to Action
On Day 2, those seeds began to take root. Our interdisciplinary teams got to work, developing concrete strategies and roadmaps to drive forward the shared priorities we had identified. From defining stakeholder roles to mapping out funding needs and ensuring alignment with existing efforts, the work was intense, energizing, and purposeful.
What stood out most to me was the spirit of shared ownership—every voice mattered, every contribution counted. The closing reflections reinforced this: we left not only with plans but with a renewed sense of global community and responsibility.
Elevating Asia’s Voice
As a representative from Asia, I felt it was essential to highlight the tremendous and urgent needs for palliative care across the region. Despite housing more than half of the world’s population, many Asian countries face systemic barriers to integrating palliative care into health systems—barriers such as limited awareness, regulatory constraints, insufficient training for health professionals, and cultural stigma around death and dying.
Workshops like this must not only include Asia’s voice—they must amplify it. The needs in Asia are vast, but so is the potential. From Singapore to rural areas in the Philippines, from India to Indonesia, communities are calling out for compassionate care, and local champions are rising to meet this call. However, they cannot do it alone. Inclusion in global strategy conversations ensures that solutions are informed by regional realities and that Asia is not left behind in the global movement for palliative care equity.
I was especially encouraged to see Asia-Pacific’s presence acknowledged, and the conversations I had with colleagues from across the region reaffirmed our collective will to make meaningful change. Collaborations forged here—with global/regional representatives, pediatric palliative care allies, and communications experts—will help shape a stronger, more connected Asia-Pacific palliative care community.
What’s Next
The next phase of this initiative will be led by GPIC, in collaboration with the particpants, who will consolidate our work into an actionable strategy. As participants, we’ve committed to ongoing collaboration and follow-through—this was never meant to be a one-off event, but rather the beginning of a long-term movement.
A Personal Note
For me, the workshop was more than a professional engagement; it was a reminder of why we do this work. It was a space where strategy met empathy, and global expertise met grassroots experience. I left Dublin with new ideas, new connections, and most importantly, renewed hope for the future of global palliative care.
A heartfelt thank you to Lacey, John, and the entire GPIC and Elea Institute teams for your exceptional leadership and commitment. You created a space where collaboration thrived and impact was born.
But let us remember: to truly create global impact, we must ensure every region’s needs are heard—especially those where the needs are greatest. Asia must not only be at the table, it must help set the agenda.
Written by Mr Giam Cheong Leong (APHN Executive Director )