NUTRITION

Universal Health Coverage. Following the 72nd World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO), a political declaration signed by member countries was released in early June for the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to be held on 23 September in New York, USA. The published document, titled “Moving Together to Build a Healthier World” focuses the health agenda around the universalization of health systems and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

Government representatives pledged to reaffirm the human right to physical and mental health, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. In addition, they reiterate their political commitment to these health issues and pledge to promote actions such as: implementing policies that address the social, economic, commercial and environmental determinants of health; prioritizing disease prevention; promoting active and healthy living; eliminating financial barriers that impede access to health; and strengthening international cooperation to achieve UHC.

The WHO also defined its priorities until its next summit in May 2020. CEO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said WHO’s vision is “a world where people don’t suffer just because they’re poor. The objectives highlighted by the director were universal health coverage (to guarantee health care without financial pressure), antimicrobial resistance (to guarantee the effectiveness of medicines and prevent 700,000 deaths a year), the strategy for climate change (to avoid the consequences of global warming), investment in drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services (essential for the UHC and to put an end to infections), and the international statistical classification of diseases (which identifies trends in health conditions), among others.

Next steps

The High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will be held on September 23, in which the participants (governments and civil society actors) will seek to agree on the steps to be taken to guarantee universal access to health and the promotion of healthy lifestyles to the entire population. The discussion at the United Nations General Assembly will focus on how these goals should be put into practice and what commitments States, as well as the private sector, should make to achieve the goals in line with the Sustainable Development Agenda (SDA).