A History of UHC in the UN

The second UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage took place during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) high-level week. This follow-up meeting provided countries and stakeholders wtih an opportunity to reinvigorate progress towards delivering health for all. 

During the meeting, Member States unanimously recognized that universal health coverage (UHC) is fundamental to achieving all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – not only those related to health and well-being (SDG 3), but also those related to poverty eradication, access to education, gender equality, climate change and building peaceful and inclusive societies. 

The Political Declaration which was adopted during the opening of the meeting can be used to identify a path forward for ensuring the health and well-being of people everywhere and for correcting the course of action for the billions of people who do not have access to health services or who face financial hardship in doing so. 

The first UN High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on Universal Health Coverage took place during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) high-level week. This was a great opportunity for all UHC champions and advocates to make their voice heard and help mobilise high-level political attention globally and in their countries. The meeting was a hugely significant achievement for Member States who reached agreement on a Political Declaration and reaffirmed their high-level political commitment to UHC.

The UN passed a third resolution on Global Health and Foreign Policy: addressing the health of the most vulnerable for an inclusive society, which called on Member States to promote and strengthen their dialogue with other stakeholders, including civil society, academia and the private sector, in order to maximize their engagement in and contribution to the implementation of health goals and targets through an intersectoral and multi stakeholder approach. 

The UN system, development partners and other relevant initiatives, including UHC2030, support Member States with the development and strengthening of sustainable UHC at the national level, with the aim of promoting access to health services for the most vulnerable.

On this same day, 12 December was proclaimed by the UN as International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day). UHC Day aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage.

Each year on 12 December, UHC advocates raise their voices to share the stories of the millions of people still waiting for health, to call on leaders to make bigger and smarter investments in health, and to remind the world that Health for All is a human right and an imperative to create equitable and resilient societies.

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The resolution on Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted the target of achieving universal health coverage by 2030, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

The United Nations General Assembly endorsed a resolution on Global Health and Foreign Policy urging countries to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC) – the idea that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality essential health services without suffering financial hardship – as an essential priority for international development.

Member states also recognized the importance of UHC in national health systems – especially through primary health care and social protection mechanisms – to provide access to health services for all, in particular for the poorest segments of the population.