Campaign messages

Our world is an unequal one, in which some people are able to live healthier lives and have better access to health services than others, entirely due to the conditions in which they are born, grow, live, work and age. This is unfair and preventable.

We call on leaders to monitor health inequalities and address their root causes to ensure that everyone has access to the living and working conditions that are conducive to good health.

We urge leaders to ensure that all people are able to access quality health services when they need them.

We all have a role to play in highlighting and tackling the root causes of health inequities. We will have most impact when governments and communities work together.

Health inequities lead to unnecessary suffering, avoidable illness, disability, and premature death. They exacerbate existing disadvantage and harm our societies and economies.

We call for more investment in primary health care to achieve health for all. COVID-19 has highlighted how pre-existing inequities have put already vulnerable communities at even greater risk. Achieving health for all is essential to meet the challenges of today and to build the resilience of tomorrow. Tackling the root causes of inequities, investing in communities, and adopting appropriate public health measures are crucial.

There is an urgent need to protect, test and treat the whole global population: only when this happens, can we end the pandemic. As well as assuring an equitable supply of vaccines, tests and treatments, we must strengthen health systems to deliver them. A strong health workforce and primary health care are key to ensuring people can obtain services when and where they need them, as close to home as possible.

Strengthen governance approaches, including health-in-all-policies and gender equality, and ensure effective collaboration across all sectors of government, including at local level. Many of the root causes of health inequities know no borders. COVID-19 has shown that intersectoral governance has been crucial in achieving successful response outcomes.

Involve communities in the decisions that affect them to ensure effective and inclusive policies. COVID-19 has highlighted the essential role of whole-of-society approaches involving actors such as the private sector, civil society, academia, the media and broad community partnerships to ensure effective implementation of policies, strategies and plans. Attention to ensure equitable opportunities to participate is needed, including inequity due to discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, migrant status and others.

Strengthen multilateral approaches to improve health equity and build a global community able to withstand and respond to global health challenges and drive economic development with equitable health outcomes at its centre.

Advance universal health coverage so that all people have access, without discrimination, to the essential health services they need without being exposed to financial hardship.

Accelerate efforts to ensure equitable access to all health products within and among countries as exemplified by the ACT accelerator.

Ensure primary health care is the cornerstone of any health system.

Ensure health systems are gender responsive and incorporate the principles of equality and non-discrimination as essential to the right to health and tackling health inequities.

Measure inequalities show where they are, why they arise, and what impact they are having.

Strengthen health information systems to improve collection, analysis, reporting and use of health inequality data.