Agenda Item 13.3 Universal Health Coverage | 24 May 2025 | Download PDF
This constituency statement, delivered by Health Action International, is supported by the following Non-State Actors:
- The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union)
- Médecins du Monde International Network
- Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
- WaterAid International
- Anesvad Foundation
- The International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations (ILEP)
- International Federation on Ageing (IFA)
With sustained efforts, Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is attainable in a number of low- and middle-income countries and achievable in the mid-term in many others. It demands functioning health systems that are adequately staffed and sustainably funded. This in turn requires political will, coordination among stakeholders, and, above all, meaningful participation from beneficiary communities.
We welcome the three executive board decisions to be considered in this World Health Assembly (WHA). We believe they touch on different but interconnected elements that can contribute to improving member states’ ability to adequately respond and react to existing UHC obstacles. This extends from the importance of evidence-based knowledge in the design and implementation of norms to the need to tackle rare diseases from an equitable perspective. Importantly, UHC should prioritise patients over profits and require sustainable financing mechanisms. If this is to work, it will depend on the transparency and accountability set out in previous resolutions, such as WHA72.8, which we believe should be incorporated in the preamble and executive parts of eventual resolutions.
We ask member states to continue to engage with the World Health Organization (WHO) to build primary health care capacities and capabilities and invest in essential prevention measures such as water, sanitation and hygiene in order to attain SDG 3.8, which in turn will have a positive impact in other areas of global health, from the fight against antimicrobial resistance and eradication of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) to pandemic prevention preparedness and resilience.
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