Welcome to the United Nations
Health is a fundamental human right and a core aspiration for every individual. Despite significant scientific and technological advances, none of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 targets have been achieved, and current trends indicate that none are on track. Alarmingly, over half of the world's population lacks access to essential health services, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have deprioritized health spending between 2021 and 2022.
Health is not solely created within the health sector; it is shaped by how people live, eat, work, and learn. The social, economic, environmental, commercial, and other determinants of health underscore the necessity of integrated, whole-of-society approaches to policymaking to create and sustain health and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the delicate relationship between people and our planet, yet negotiations for the WHO Pandemic Treaty, aimed at enhancing global cooperation and preparedness for future pandemics, remain unfinished.
Numerous challenges and megatrends, including climate change, biodiversity loss, air pollution, urbanization, demographic shifts, and aging populations, pose new questions and issues that must be addressed to make progress on SDG 3. Rising conflict, displacement, humanitarian emergencies, and natural hazards exacerbate the divide between the well-off and those suffering the most severe health consequences.
This session will explore challenges and opportunities in advancing key solutions to accelerate progress towards SDG 3. It will benefit from the outcomes of the Expert Group Meeting on the review of SDG 3, held in Geneva in February 2025.
Proposed guiding questions:
- What lessons can be highlighted from 10 years of efforts managing trade-offs and generating synergies across the 2030 Agenda when implementing SDG 3?
- What promising solutions can be shared and scaled up to propel progress over the next 5 years on across SDG 3 targets?
- What emerging trends and key shifts will likely shape health policy and outcomes over the next five years and beyond? How can foresight contribute to health policy and generate synergies with other SDGs?
- What targeted policies are needed to ensure universal health coverage for everyone, everywhere, including access to essential medicines? How can we prioritize investments in primary healthcare and preventive services?
- What existing policies and solutions can we learn from to better promote the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment in a holistic manner and increase resilience against future pandemics?
- How can we better harness science, technology, and innovation to advance progress on SDG 3, such as AI-driven diagnostics, telemedicine, and mobile health tools for transformative solutions, especially for underserved populations in remote areas and in Fragile, Conflict-Affected, and Vulnerable (FCV) settings?
Chair:
- H.E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, Vice-President of ECOSOC
Moderator:
- Mr. Tony Holohan, Director, Centre for One Health, College of Health and Agricultural Sciences, Adjunct Full Professor of Public Health, University College Dublin
Panellists:
- Ms. Magda Robalo, Co-chair UHC2030, co-founder of the Institute for Global Health and Development of Guinea-Bissau
- Mr. Ibrahim Abubakar, Professor, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Dean, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London
Lead discussants:
- Ms. Shobha Shukla, Managing Editor and Executive Director, Citizen News Service (CNS)
Interactive discussion:
Due to limited time and to maximise participation, interventions in interactive discussions should be limited to two to three minutes. The time limit will be strictly implemented, using a timing device and/or microphone cutoff as necessary. Depending on the number of requests for the floor in a given discussion, the time limit may be adjusted downward, as necessary. Participants are discouraged from reading prepared statements; instead, they are encouraged to make informal remarks and engage in an interactive discussion. Priority will be given to ministerial-level interventions.
