Over 100 representatives from low- and middle-income country (LMICs) governments, development specialists and civil society organisations are gathering in Geneva for a two-day consultation meeting to explore ways to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage (UHC).

The two-day consultation process will explore the strategic direction and scope of work of UHC 2030. 

Stakeholders will discuss UHC 2030’s role in advocacy both globally and locally, and how it can be a broker for sharing experience, lessons learnt and good practice in effective development cooperation, health systems strengthening and making progress towards UHC.

Accelerating progress towards UHC is essential to ensuring the health and wellbeing of all people. Approximately 100 million people are pushed into poverty every year as a result of out-of-pocket payments for health care, a large proportion of which are due to NCDs.

Yet, UHC remains a distant reality for many LMICs, where the NCD burden is impacting disproportionately. Out-of-pocket payments for NCD treatment and care trap poor households in cycles of catastrophic expenditure, impoverishment, and illness, particularly in countries lacking social protection and health insurance.

Coverage and access (in terms of availability and physical access) to NCD services, including early diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care, are severely inadequate.

You can watch live webstreaming of the main sessions of the event here.