Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage

The "Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage" held at the United Nations on 21st September 2023 underscores the global commitment to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030. This declaration, titled "Universal Health Coverage: Expanding Our Ambition for Health and Well-being in a Post-COVID World," reaffirms the significance of health as a fundamental human right and a crucial component of sustainable development. It builds upon the 2019 political declaration and reflects on the progress made while acknowledging the setbacks brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are the key highlights and themes covered in the declaration:

• Universal Right to Health: The declaration emphasizes the universal right of every human being, regardless of any distinctions, to access the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. This reaffirmation underscores the commitment to making quality healthcare accessible to all.

• Commitment to 2019 Declaration: The declaration reaffirms the political commitment made in 2019 to accelerate the implementation of the political declaration on UHC. It recognizes that health is intertwined with various dimensions of sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• Integration of Health Across Goals: It underscores the importance of health across all the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, highlighting the interconnectedness of health with other development goals.

• Financing for Development: The declaration reaffirms the need for strong political commitment to address the challenge of financing for development and creating an enabling environment at all levels for sustainable development.

• Previous Declarations and Resolutions: It recalls previous political declarations and resolutions related to health, including those on HIV and AIDS, antimicrobial resistance, tuberculosis, non-communicable diseases, and malaria control and elimination.

• Coordination and Upcoming Meetings: Acknowledging the importance of coordination, the declaration notes the upcoming high-level meetings on antimicrobial resistance and non-communicable diseases while emphasizing the need for global cooperation and solidarity.

• National Ownership: It stresses the importance of national ownership and the leadership of governments at all levels in determining their own path towards achieving UHC, tailored to their national contexts and priorities.

•  Health as an Investment: Recognizes health as an investment in human capital and social and economic development, promoting human rights and dignity, and empowering all individuals.

•  Equitable Access: Emphasizes the importance of universal access to essential health services, medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and health technologies, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized populations.

• Addressing Inequities: Recognizes the need to address health inequities, inequalities, social and economic injustices, and the determinants of health through global solidarity and international cooperation.

• Impact of Climate Change: Highlights the impact of climate change and environmental factors on health, underlining the importance of resilient and people-centered health systems to protect vulnerable populations.

• Nutrition and Food Security: Recognizes the role of food security, nutrition, and sustainable food systems in promoting healthier populations and ending malnutrition.

• Non-Communicable Diseases: Emphasizes the importance of prevention, treatment, and control of non-communicable diseases and mental health promotion through healthy lifestyles and diets.

• Concerns about Progress: Expresses deep concern about insufficient progress towards UHC, with slowdowns in service coverage expansion, worsening trends in financial protection, and a global shortfall in achieving commitments.

• Impact of COVID-19: Recognizes the severe disruptions to essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic and its detrimental effects on global health, poverty, and inequality.

• Preparedness and Response: Acknowledges the inadequacies in preparedness, prevention, and response to health emergencies, emphasizing the link between pandemic prevention and UHC.

• Vaccine Access: Expresses concern about uneven access to vaccines against COVID-19 in developing countries and emphasizes the need for equitable vaccine access and support for health systems.

• Primary Health Care: Highlights the fundamental role of primary health care in achieving UHC and improving health outcomes, including community-based primary health care.

• Community Engagement: Recognizes the potential role of community-led initiatives and community engagement in building trust in health systems and addressing health-related misinformation.

• Infrastructure and Services: Expresses serious concern about the lack of basic infrastructure and services in health care facilities, such as water, sanitation, and electricity, and their impact on health care quality.

•  Commitment to Progress Reporting: Requests the Secretary-General to provide progress reports on UHC implementation and recommendations during subsequent General Assembly sessions, with a high-level meeting on UHC planned for 2027.

Overall, the declaration serves as a comprehensive reaffirmation of the global commitment to universal health coverage, highlighting the interconnection between health, development, and sustainable well-being while acknowledging the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for accelerated action to achieve UHC by 2030.