WHO

154^th Session of the Executive Board

Item 6 – Universal Health Coverage

EU Statement

Chair,

Director-General,

Members of the Executive Board,

Colleagues,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union and its member states.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine[1] and Georgia align themselves with this statement.

The EU and its Member States strongly support the Agenda 2030, including the SDG3 on health and well-being, and the acceleration of efforts to achieve the SDG targets. We welcome the successful High-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage at the UN General Assembly. We believe that the political declaration would have benefitted from a more balanced text and express concern that it is increasingly difficult to find consensus.

The EU also welcomes the recalibration of the triple billion targets in the 14th General Programme of Work, particularly in relation to the number of people that will be benefiting from universal health coverage for 2025-2028.

The EU stresses two main points to achieve these goals, in line with EU’s strategy on global health: primary health care and health systems strengthening.

In this regard, we welcome the report by the Director General emphasizing the reorientation of health systems to a primary health care approach, including community health services, which is the most effective, efficient and equitable way to deliver UHC. Primary health services and their essential role in the health system are a long-term investment in both wellbeing of all and resilience of societies against multiple emergencies.

Primary health care and services should be persons-centred, gender-responsive and comprehensive. It should include promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services for communities and individuals, including persons in vulnerable and marginalized situations. Furthermore, the EU remains committed to the promotion, protection and fulfillment of all human rights and to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Program of Action of the ICPD and the outcomes of their review conferences and remains committed to SRHR, in this context. Other functions such as disease surveillance and population level essential public health functions could be more efficiently organised at national or subnational levels.

Health systems strengthening is also a core EU priority. It should address financing, including financial protection systems, but also governance, human resources, infrastructures, information system, access to commodities, health monitoring and service provision, sustainability and resilience, and meaningful social participation, and leadership of communities — at all level of services. The health workforce has a critical role to play in advancing universal health coverage and addressing evolving health needs, with special importance in rural areas and in underserved areas with hard-to-fill positions. Substantial investments are needed in health workforce education, training and professional development, and we support initiatives in this regard such as the creation of WHO Academy.

In this regard, we support the adoption of the decision on the development of a global strategy and action plan for integrated emergency, critical and operative care, 2026-2035, and the resolution institutionalizing social participation for health and well-being.

The EU and its member states would like to reiterate their highest commitment to achieve Universal Health Coverage everywhere and leave no one behind based on the principles of equity and justice in health, with a focus on equitable access to public health services especially for persons in vulnerable situations, including for women and girls.

Stronger UHC requires further collaboration and solidarity, and the EU is ready to expand partnerships across the world.

Thank you.

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.