Many issues that affect marginalized populations around the world are also experienced by rural, remote and Indigenous populations in British Columbia. Moreover, healthcare in British Columbia and the rest of Canada doesn’t operate in a vacuum but is part of a global struggle for better health and wellness for all.

United by a shared vision for system transformation through social accountability and a focus on health equity, RCCbc and The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH) became Global Strategic Partners in 2021. TUFH is an international, intersectoral and intergenerational organization that fosters equitable community-oriented health services, education and research with the goal of improving health locally and globally.

RCCbc and TUFH collaborated with local partners to co-host the TUFH 2022—an international, intersectoral and intergenerational conference—in Vancouver under the banner of “Moving Forward Together: Unity for Health for All.” More than 300 participants from 46 countries attended the fully hybrid conference, which incorporated voices and perspectives from participants located in all seven World Health Organization regions.

Building on the existing successes of the RCCbc–TUFH partnership and the close relationships forged through TUFH 2022, the continued collaboration enriches both RCCbc and TUFH networks and promises great mutual benefit at a strategic level in guiding our global health work.

• Expands the RCCbc network internationally through TUFH’s “network of networks”.  
• Creates opportunities for bi-directional learning that will benefit RCCbc and the populations we serve, as well as those of other international partners in the TUFH network.  
• Lays the foundations for further mutually beneficial collaborations in rural research, education and system transformation between British Columbia and the rest of the world.