Mexico International Forum on Universal Health Coverage

The International Forum on “Sustaining Universal Health Coverage: Sharing Experiences and Supporting Progress”, organized by the government of Mexico on 1-2 April 2012 in Mexico City, is the latest international high profile event on UC. In Mexico City, high-level participants from 21 countries from the six WHO regions, including the Ministers of Health of Mexico and South Africa, as well as WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan and Assistant Director-General Dr Carissa Etienne, gathered to exchange experiences and promote international cooperation on efforts to sustain progress towards UC.

In an increasingly globalized world, international pharmaceutical standards are becomingly increasingly important to safeguard quality and improve access to medicines. For the first time in 10 years, representatives from pharmacopoeias from 23 countries came together on 29 February – 2 March 2012 at WHO headquarters in Geneva and committed to working further towards harmonization and strengthening WHO's role when developing global standards for the production and testing of medicines.

The global health expenditure database that WHO has maintained for the past ten years, provides internationally comparable numbers on national health expenditures...

• Country pages with key health system financing facts.

A good health system delivers quality services to all people, when and where they need them. The exact configuration of services varies from country to country, but in all cases requires a robust financing mechanism; a well-trained and adequately paid workforce; reliable information on which to base decisions and policies; well maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies.