UCLG cares for healthy populations and societies - Universal health coverage

UCLG cares for healthy populations and societies Universal health coverage

The pandemic has underscored that we are only as strong as those most vulnerable among us. The rise of inequities has taken a new dimension with the difficulty of equal access to vaccinations, and the different speed at which the recovery takes place in rich and poor countries calls on us to defend the importance of equal access to health and healthy cities.

Building on this necessity, UCLG has joined the Call for Vaccine Equity, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), to ensure an equitable

recovery around the world, especially for the workers on the frontline. WHO has also called for the release of vaccine patents as a way to level the playing field when facing COVID-19 and crises.

UCLG has been a part of the Urban Preparedness Working Group, a series of virtual meetings aiming to advance health emergency preparedness in cities and other urban settings beyond COVID-19, from January to April 2021, led by the World Health Organization.

The virtual meetings brought technical experts at national and local government levels to discuss how the experiences and lessons learned from COVID-19 in cities and urban settings should shape the way forward for the strengthening of preparedness for future health emergencies.

UCLG brought experiences from local and regional governments to the table. The deliberations from the Working Group are a part of a technical guide, titled “Advancing health emergency preparedness in cities and urban settings in COVID-19 and beyond”.

Linking the UCLG agenda with that of Universal Health Coverage has been a natural evolution of our political positioning. With this in mind, UCLG has started the process to become a full member of UHC2030, and to mainstream healthcare and health in cities in its narrative and its political agenda, building on our previous work with the Movement and, in particular, our joint dialogues in the framework of the 2020 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and our joint campaigns around World Health Day.

Access to health and healthcare for all people needs to go hand-in-hand with the transformation of the multilateral system. UCLG was a part of the “state of commitment to universal health coverage”, a document led by UHC2030 that gathered key targets, commitments, and actions in the