Join us at the WHA79 Civil Society Networking Space!

Программа

Monday, May 18th

Voices for Change: UHC Day Champions Meet & Greet

Hosted by CSEM for UHC2030 and UHC2030

This is an informal meet and greet and discussion with and among the 2025 UHC Day champions.

As momentum builds toward the 2027 UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), this hybrid meet and greet at WHA79 will bring together UHC2030/CSEM Secretariats and 2025 UHC Day Champions for an informal exchange on advancing UHC advocacy. The session will provide a space for champions to connect, exchange experiences from their work advancing UHC at country and community levels, and identify shared priorities and opportunities for collaboration and coordinated advocacy ahead of the high-level meeting.

Формат: In-person + online

Smart financing and integrated care as pathways to people-centered universal health coverage

Hosted by the Joint Learning Network for UHC, PATH, Amref Global Health, Global Network of People living with HIV

This side event will explore how smart financing and integrated primary health care can catalyze country-led health reforms that advance more equitable, people-centered universal health coverage outcomes. Through two complementary panels on financing and integration, we will examine how aligned financing approaches and integrated service delivery can jointly strengthen PHC systems and accelerate sustainable health system transformation across Africa and Asia.

Format: In person (webinar will be recorded and available after the event)

From Gaps to Gains: Delivering UHC through gender-responsive health systems

Hosted by The George Institute for Global Health, Humanity & Inclusion, Imperial College London, NCD Alliance, CSEM for UHC2030, WaterAid, Women in Global Health

This session will convene stakeholders to share the latest evidence, experience and best practices on advancing UHC through gender-responsive health systems. The event will examine the critical role of integrating gender-responsive approaches across all levels and building blocks of the health system, including policy and planning, financing, information systems and service delivery, to ensure equitable and effective health outcomes for all.

Format: In-person + online

Decent work for UHC: Investing in a resilient workforce in challenging contexts

Hosted by Cordaid, Frontline Health Workers Coalition (FHWC), Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma and Anaesthesia Care (G4 Alliance)

Universal Health Coverage and health system resilience depend on a motivated, fairly compensated, and well-supported health workforce. In rural, conflict-affected, and other fragile settings, strengthening systems for emergency, critical, and operative care is especially urgent. Yet in these contexts, health workers, including nurses, midwives, and community health workers, often face unpaid or underpaid labor, unsafe or inadequate working conditions, and limited opportunities for career progression and leadership. These challenges are currently exacerbated by the profound shifts in health financing globally. This event will explore how sustainable financing, decent work standards, and community-centred approaches can address these gaps and ultimately strengthen health systems.

The discussion builds on the collective expertise of Cordaid, the Frontline Health Workers Coalition, and the G4 Alliance, with a focus on practical solutions from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Цели:

1. Highlight the critical role of health workers in achieving UHC, particularly in fragile and rural settings
2. Showcase innovative financing and retention models that prioritize decent work for all cadres of health workers
3. Foster dialogue between policymakers, health workers, and civil society to identify actionable recommendations

Format: In-person + online

Launch of the UHC2030 narrative on digital transformation of health systems for universal health coverage

Hosted by UHC2030, CSEM for UHC2030, Transform Health, OECD, DTH-Lab, GIDH and the Asian Development Bank

The launch of ?UHC2030?s strategic narrative to drive advocacy and action on digital transformation of health systems for universal health coverage?, spotlight?s the urgent need to harness the full opportunity of digital technologies to strengthen inclusive and equitable health systems, which are responsive to the needs of all people. This event equips advocates with clear advocacy messages and provides decision makers with suggested actions from the strategic narrative to close gaps between commitments and implementation, ensuring UHC is placed at the heart of digital transformation of health systems.

Format: In-person + online

Tuesday, May 19th

Before the Civil Society Space opens, the room will be used by the WHO Core Group on Social Participation for a first side event on social participation for health. The event is open to civil society participants, and entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Central Role of Social Participation and Multilateral Cooperation in Advancing Health Sovereignty

Hosted by Brazil, France, Slovenia, National Health Commission Office of Thailand, UHC2030, Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM)

To foster political and technical dialogue among governments, civil society, and international organizations on how social participation can strengthen health sovereignty, including through international cooperation, and support the effective implementation of World Health Assembly Resolution WHA77.2 on social participation
for universal health coverage, Health and Well-being.

The event is expected to bring together over 100 participants from diverse backgrounds. A dynamic program is being prepared, which will include high-level speakers from Member States, expert input, as well as engagement from civil society representatives. Through an inclusive discussion we aim to capture the spirit of social participation to deliver an interesting and fruitful event.

Format: In-person + The session will also be streamed live on the Brazilian National Health Council?s YouTube channel.

The Social Participation Village: Where every voice shapes health governance

Hosted by IAPO, CSEM for UHC2030, Global Health Council, Save the Children, The George Institute for Global Health, SPHERE

With the first reporting cycle of the World Health Assembly resolution on social participation underway, 2026 presents a key opportunity to assess progress and strengthen collective action. However, greater alignment is needed between global reporting, civil society perspectives and on-the-ground realities.

The Social Participation Village will convene civil society, patient organisations and a wide range of stakeholders to exchange feedback on progress, drawing on both official reporting and community-led insights. The event will also initiate a collective effort to map the global social participation landscape through a live, interactive stakeholder mapping exercise, capturing who is active, where and how. Building on this shared understanding, participants will reflect on advocacy priorities and collaboration opportunities to accelerate implementation of the resolution at country, regional and global levels.

Format: In-person + online

Connecting for Change: Integrating disability equity across global health agendas

Hosted by International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), WHO Disability Health Equity Network

This session aims to:

• Introduce the WHO Disability Health Equity Network (DHEN) as an ally in advocacy for UHC.
• Connect members of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network and the broader global health community working on UHC to build relationships and mutual understanding.
• Explore key insights and evidence on health equity for persons with disabilities, including major gaps and opportunities.
• Identify shared priorities, natural alignment points, and practical ways to collaborate across mainstream global health agendas and initiatives.
• Co-create ideas for strengthening disability inclusion within UHC and global health agendas through partnership and collective action.

Format: In-person + online

Health for All, by All: A multi-stakeholder dialogue on driving action and accountability for UHC

International Federation of Medical Students? Associations (IFMSA), International Veterinary Students Association (IVSA), WMA Junior Doctors Network

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) remains a core target of the Sustainable Development Goals, yet gaps in legislation, policy implementation, and social participation continue to hinder progress. While governments commit to UHC, accountability mechanisms and youth engagement are often underutilized, leaving marginalized populations at risk of being excluded from essential health services or facing catastrophic out-of-pocket costs.

The next generation of health professionals represents a unique constituency: both beneficiaries and active partners in shaping health systems. This session brings together Parliamentarians, Member State delegates, civil society, and youth representatives to explore strategies for institutionalizing legislative oversight, strengthening social participation, and ensuring that UHC commitments translate into measurable health outcomes.

The dialogue will be timed in the context of the upcoming 2026 High-Level Meeting on Pandemic, Prevention, Preparedness, and Response, as well as building momentum towards the 2027 UN High-Level Meeting on UHC. Participants will examine how cross-sector collaboration, legislative action, and youth engagement can reinforce both pandemic preparedness and the broader UHC agenda.

Format: In-person + online

Youth voices for universal health coverage: A networking and learning session

Hosted by: Transform Health, CSEM for UHC2030, IFMSA, WHO Youth Council, IPSF, Incision, World Medical Association Junior Doctors Network, Rare Diseases International, Voices in Action, Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation

The session provides a platform for youth and youth-led organisations to share their work across a range of health issues, from mental health and sexual and reproductive health to digital transformation, primary healthcare, and health equity. It will highlight how these efforts contribute to strengthening health systems and expanding equitable access to essential services as part of progress toward universal health coverage. By creating space for dialogue and shared learning, the event aims to deepen collaboration, build stronger partnerships, and amplify youth-led solutions and initiatives to drive meaningful change and accelerate progress toward UHC.

We warmly welcome anyone to join, especially youth advocates.

Format: In-person

Wednesday, May 20th

UHC in a fractured world: Resilient health systems amid conflict, climate, and technological transformation

Hosted by Health Systems Global and Global Surgery Umbrella 

This event will provide an opportunity for researchers, practitioners and policymakers on the ground in conflict-affected settings (including Ukraine, Lebanon and Palestine) to share lessons learned and best practices of relevance to health systems resilience for UHC in an increasingly fractured world.

Driving mental health into UHC: From political leadership to system implementation

Hosted by UNITE ? Parliamentarians Network for Global Health and Global Mental Health Action Network

This session will convene stakeholders to explore how political commitment to mental health can be translated into concrete system-level reforms within Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The discussion will focus on key implementation challenges, including financing, workforce models, and service integration, and will aim to identify practical pathways to strengthen the integration of mental health into national health systems and UHC frameworks.

Format: In-person + online

Civil Society shaping the WHO Civil Society Engagement Strategy: Opportunities for meaningful participation in global health governance

Hosted by International Alliance of Patient Organisations (IAPO) and International Cerebral Palsy
Society (ICPS) on behalf of the WHO Civil Society Commission

Join this interactive session to contribute to the development of the World Health Organization?s new Civil Society Engagement Strategy, with a first draft planned for September 2026.
Bringing together civil society, WHO representatives and partners, the discussion will:

• Share updates on the strategy process
  Gather civil society perspectives and priorities
• Explore principles for more meaningful engagement
• Help inform a more inclusive approach to global health governance and advance progress toward universal health coverage.

Format: In-person + online

What does global health architecture reform have to do with universal health coverage?

Hosted by the Health Architecture Reimagined Civil Society Organizations Consortium (HEAR CSO)

What does global health architecture reform mean for Universal Health Coverage, and for the communities who need it most? This session aims to connect reform processes with the goal of equitable, accessible, quality healthcare for all. Drawing on findings from HEAR CSO?s global consultations, we will bring in civil society perspectives, explore how reform may shape UHC progress, and highlight ways to stay engaged.

Format: In-person + online

Living healthier, living better: rehabilitation and assistive technology in UHC

Hosted by ATscale, Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology, Humanity & Inclusion, International Cerebral Palsy Society, World Rehabilitation Alliance

With 2.6 billion people globally in need of rehabilitation and over 2.5 billion requiring assistive products, the session addresses a critical gap in health systems that have historically prioritized disease treatment over broader functioning and well-being. The panel will explore policy and financing pathways to expand access ? particularly in low- and middle-income countries where services remain limited or unaffordable ? and identify concrete entry points to advance recognition of rehabilitation and AT on the road to the 2027 UN High-Level Meeting on UHC.

Format: In-person + online

From commitment to coverage: strengthening community systems by integrating substance use into universal health coverage

Hosted by IFRC

Achieving UHC requires inclusive community health systems, yet people who use drugs and alcohol remain largely excluded. Globally, only 1 in 11 people with drug use disorders receive treatment, reflecting a major gap in access to essential services. This gap is driven by stigma, criminalisation, and limited integration of harm reduction and treatment into health systems. Strengthening community system resilience is key to reaching underserved populations and advancing equitable care.
This event will explore practical pathways to integrate substance use services into UHC and ensure no one is left behind.

Format: In-person + online