On International Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, the World Health Organization Office at the United Nations, together with the newly established Group of Friends of Universal Health Coverage (core group: Brazil, France, Ghana, Hungary, Japan, South Africa, Thailand), hosted a flagship event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The discussion, which was moderated by WHO/UN’s Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Werner Obermeyer, explored multi-stakeholder perspectives on the UHC agenda and the upcoming High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (HLM-UHC) with contributions from Permanent Representatives, the UN system, UHC2030, and civil society representatives.
UN Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, (@AminaJMohammed), providing opening remarks, stressed UHC as one of the best investments for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and highlighted the intersection of health with several other ongoing and upcoming UN processes in other sectors. She noted the need for coherent and complementary multisectoral policies.
H.E. Mr. Koro Bessho, Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN, (@JapanMissionUN), introduced the Group of Friends of UHC, an informal platform for all Member States in New York to advocate for UHC and promote a successful HLM-UHC.
H.E. Mr. Vitavas Srivihok, Permanent Representative of Thailand to the UN, (@ThailandUN), a co-facilitator for the HLM-UHC and a long standing champion of UHC, spoke on Thailand’s regional leadership in helping other countries move towards UHC.
H.E. Ms. Katalin Annamária Bogyay, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the UN, (@KatalinBogyay, @HUNMissionToUN), a co-facilitator for the HLM-UHC, shared her national perspective and personal motivation for championing UHC through the HLM process, to ensure that health is not a luxury for the privileged but a right for all.
Following the recently convened Global Conference on Primary Health Care in Astana, H.E. Mr. Kairat Umarov, Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the UN, (@Kazakh_Mission), highlighted the political commitments made in Astana and the critical role of Primary Health Care (PHC) in delivering on UHC targets. H.E. Mr. Kaha Imnadze, Permanent Representative of Georgia to the UN, (@kahaimnadze, @GeorgiaUN), provided a middle-income country perspective, highlighting that UHC is a political choice and a feasible goal for nations of all wealth.
On behalf of UHC2030, Co-chair Dr. Ilona Kickbusch, (@IlonaKickbusch, @UHC2030), championed multi-stakeholder engagement and the necessity of including partners outside of the government in delivering on UHC. UHC2030 offers a platform for aligning strategy and implementation on the UHC agenda.
Ms. Aimee Carter, Vice President of International AARP, (@aimeecarter365, @AARPIntl), announced the release of The Global AgeWatch Insights report by AARP and HelpAge, and stressed the significance of designing people-centred policies, inclusive of the needs of ageing populations.
The programme concluded with remarks from Ms. Durhane Wong-Rieger, Chair of the Council of Rare Diseases International, (@Durhane, @rarediseasesint), who spoke on integrating disease specific programmes with a health systems strengthening approach, in an effort to promote equity across the health sector and to leave no one behind.