At the end of April, PITCH global and country partners were in New York to attend the discussions around the multi-stakeholder hearing on universal health coverage (UHC), an important preparatory meeting for the very first UN High-Level Meeting on UHC that will take place in September.

Speakers from civil society, academia, multilaterals and private sector spoke in panels as well as from the assembly, with a few interventions from member states. Oanh Khuat from SCDI, PITCH partner in Vietnam, and member of the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM), spoke on a panel about UHC as a driver for inclusive development and prosperity.

Those affected need a seat at the table. We haven't seen a lot of investment in civil society and community involvement in the UHC process. We need more! 

Oanh Khuat, SCDI

 

The day before the actual hearing, we came together as HIV activists to strategise around how to position HIV within the UHC agenda, to share what we’ve learned about UCH advocacy in-country, and what our priorities and plans are for engaging at the High-Level Meeting.

It came out loud and clear that to achieve our goals in the UHC agenda, we need to link up with others working in the health field and form broader coalitions. We need to come out of our HIV silo and use this moment as an opportunity to push for a people-centered and human rights-based approach to UHC.

If you haven’t already seen it, read the PITCH four-country research into integrating HIV into UHC, and Frontline AIDS discussion paper on pooled funding in the context of UHC.