CSEM Advisory Group (AG) members met in Brussels, Belgium, from December 8-9, 2019. In-person Advisory Group meetings are held twice per year in advance of the UHC2030 Steering Committee meetings. In addition to this, the Advisory Group holds monthly virtual meetings.
The meeting partly served to plan for effective civil society representation at the UHC2030 Steering Committee meeting, where CSEM AG members Javier Hourcade Bellocq, Justin Koonin, and Khuat Thi Hai Oanh hold active seats. The broader agenda also included strategizing for CSEM engagement at upcoming advocacy events, conferences, and key moments, reviewing CSEM strategies (including communications and county level work), and work planning for 2020. Eleven members of the CSEM Advisory Group participated in person, while others joined virtually. The CSEM Secretariat team from Management Sciences for Health, Amy-Boldosser-Boesch, Eliana Monteforte, and Refiloe Mabejane, co-facilitated the meeting.
On day one of the Advisory Group meeting, discussions focused on the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UN HLM on UHC) outcomes and reflections from the various post-HLM webinars and meetings. Members shared plans from their organizations and broader networks for taking forward the outcomes of the HLM at the country level. They discussed ways the CSEM can support country-level advocacy and accountability efforts on UHC with the limited resources available. The CSEM Advisory Group also began initial thinking around the structure and content of the State of UHC Commitment Report, which UHC2030 plans to launch on UHC Day 2020.
On the second day, Advisory Group members who participate in various UHC2030-led technical working groups (TWGs), such as the Accountability, Advocacy, Knowledge Exchange, Private Sector, and the Fragile States Technical Working Groups, reported on recent activities and progress made to date. The TWGs have varying levels of activity; members are currently actively engaging with the Accountability and Advocacy TWGs on the development of the Handbook on Social Participation for UHC.
Finally, the Advisory Group discussed and planned updates to key documents such as the CSEM governance charter, country-level advocacy strategy, and communications strategy. The two-day meeting concluded with an update session with the UHC2030 Core Team from WHO and the World Bank.
