Global health initiatives are multistakeholder partnerships that mobilize and disburse resources to address global health challenges, often by supporting implementation of health programmes in low-and middle-income countries.1 These initiatives have made enormous contributions to saving lives and improving health globally, and are vital to the realization of sustainable development goal (SDG) 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.1,2 However, some members of the global health community have criticized the ways these initiatives work, notably in relation to power imbalances between donor and implementing partners in priority-setting and decision-making.1 These imbalances can translate into questions of whose knowledge, vision and voice drive organizational direction. (AU)