First United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage – Technical Brief for CARICOM Countries: A Contribution from Civil Society.
This Technical Brief is a step in building the capacity of the Ministries of Health (MoH) and Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to participate actively in preparatory processes for the First UN High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (HLM-UHC) scheduled for 23 September 2019 and negotiations for the development of the Political Declaration that will be the outcome document of the meeting.
The informed and active participation of the MoH and MoFA – key actors in developing and strengthening the multisectoral, whole-of-government (WoG), whole-of-society (WoS), health-in-all-policies approaches that are critical to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities – will provide an important perspective that recognises and highlights major health priorities in the Caribbean, such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The Technical Brief also provides information that other non-health sectors and agencies, civil society organisations (CSOs) and their constituents, and other key stakeholders in health, particularly in NCD prevention and control, will find useful in advocating to governments in their respective countries for high-level participation in the HLM-UHC.
The Technical Brief provides important background information on the HLM-UHC, the context of UHC and NCDs internationally and in the Caribbean region – including the importance of addressing the social, environmental, commercial, and other determinants of health in the quest to reduce inequities and leave no-one behind in national, regional, and global sustainable development – and summarises the preparatory processes leading up to the HLM.
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It also presents eight HCC Advocacy Priorities and related Advocacy Asks, important considerations for inclusion in the Political Declaration from a civil society, NCD-focused perspective. These Advocacy Priorities and Advocacy Asks, are based on NCD Alliance’s 5 priorities, and facilitate advancing to UHC and strengthening NCD prevention and control, as part of the multisectoral, WoS approach that is essential for addressing the root causes of ill-health and improving health outcomes.