The CSEM, IFRC and UNAIDS are organizing Country Level Advocacy Meetings for the UN High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in 14 countries. These meetings will provide civil society with a national level platform to advocate for an effective high-level meeting that results in ambitious national commitments to advance UHC.
The first country advocacy meeting was held in Panama City, Panama on April 5, 2019. Thirty civil society and government officials came together to discuss the Key Asks from the UHC Movement for the UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage and Civil Society Priority Actions for the UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage. Based on these two documents, participants outlined current gaps the country faces in achieving UHC.
Civil Society then lobbied government officials to make country commitments that address those gaps at the HLM on UHC which is set for 23 September 2019. Other outcomes of the meeting include: (1) An agreement on the type of government officials that should comprise the HLM on UHC Panama delegation. (2) A commitment that civil society will hold bimonthly meetings to develop a proposal for the government to use in developing its UHC country commitments. (3) An agreement to work with the government after the UN HLM to develop social accountability monitoring mechanisms to track implementation of those commitments.
Planning is underway for meetings in Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Georgia, Ghana, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Pakistan, Philippines and South Africa. For more information on the country advocacy meetings and guidance on how to conduct a meeting in your country, click here.
