The 72nd session of the World Health Assembly (WHA72) will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from May 20-28, 2019. WHO convenes the assembly annually to determine the policies of the organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed program budget. Civil society will be active at this year’s WHA, including strong representation from the CSEM Secretariat and Advisory Group. A list of CSEM member organizations attending WHA72 is available here.
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will be a prominent part of the WHA72 agenda. Member states will discuss primary health care towards universal health coverage, community health workers delivering primary health care, as well as preparations for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UN HLM on UHC) during the UN General Assembly in September 2019. The Global Action Plan for Healthy Living and UHC will also be the focus of technical briefings during the week.
To advocate for an effective High-Level meeting that results in ambitious national commitments to advance UHC, UHC2030 and the CSEM will co-host a number of side events during WHA. Civil society and other stakeholders will organize multiple events on the sidelines of this key global health meeting. We bring you information on some of those UHC-related events, and opportunities for civil society to convene and organize in the buildup to the UN HLM on UHC. As a reminder, during WHA and in the lead up to the HLM, we encourage civil society to use 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.
UHC2030 and CSEM co-hosted events
Sunday, May 19, 2019
09H45-13H00, Place des Nations
Walk the Talk: The Health for All Challenge 2019
Organized by The Commonwealth Secretariat with the Commonwealth Member states
More Information
Monday, May 20, 2019
15H30-17H15, Geneva Press Club
Community and Civil Society Engagement for the Global Action Plan on SDG 3
Organized by CSEM, Global Health Council and partners
More Information
Livestream
18H00-18H50, Palais des Nations, Room IX
Action and accountability on UHC: Building momentum towards the UN High-level meeting
Official “non-state actor” side event to the WHA.
Organized by CSEM, Action contre la Faim, Global Health Council and the Save the Children Fund
More Information
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
UHC Town Hall
16H00-17H30, Geneva Press Club
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Town Hall
Organized by Global Health Council and partners
More Information
Livestream: here
18H00-19H30, Palais des Nations, Room 24
Partnerships for Health Systems Strengthening – Prepared for Emergencies
Follow-up on last year Call to action – UHC in emergencies (Sponsoring Member States: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Switzerland)
Co-sponsors: UHC2030
More information
18H00-20H00, Restaurant Vieux-Bois
Profiting from profit: aligning private sector interests with UHC goals
Organized by UHC2030
More Information
For additional information on events at WHA focused on universal health coverage and civil society engagement please visit:
WHO Universal Health Coverage Website
Please note that many events require pre-registration and events inside the Palais des Nations require WHA accreditation.
