Health at the heart of a fairer future
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Health at the heart of a fairer future

Health is an inalienable right and the foundation of human dignity and global security. Yet in every corner of the world, millions are still denied their basic right to medical care and well-being. As 2025 draws to a close, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Climate shocks, violent conflict, economic instability, disinformation and widening inequalities are fragmenting societies and slowing progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The choices leaders make now will determine whether health becomes imperative for sustainable development or remains a casualty of systemic failure.

The evidence is clear. The climate emergency is driving food insecurity and spreading disease. Conflicts are destroying health infrastructure, displacing millions and leaving populations without access to vaccines and essential medicines. 

Too often the world forgets that the head is attached to the body – with more than 300 million people in need of humanitarian assistance we must elevate mental health and psychosocial care in humanitarian settings where the pressures are immense and the needs often overlooked and underfunded. 

The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the fragility of even the strongest systems, and misinformation corroded trust in science and institutions. Immunisation programmes were disrupted, non-communicable diseases increased unchecked and preventable deaths in conflict zones mounted. These cascading crises show that health is both the mirror of our crises and the foundation of our future.

Yet there has been progress: since 2015, the world has seen a 14% decline in maternal mortality and a 16% drop in under-five mortality – clear signs that collective investment in health saves lives and moves us closer to achieving SDG 3.

This year has also brought pivotal developments. In May, World Health Organization member states adopted the Pandemic Agreement, a landmark in global health governance. After difficult negotiations, this showed that cooperation is possible when urgency is matched with solidarity. It must now be implemented with ambition and equity, ensuring that preparedness, response and access to tools are not determined by geography or income.

In July, governments gathered in Seville for the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, where they adopted the Sevilla Commitment. It reaffirms that closing the financing gap for the SDGs is inseparable from realising universal health coverage. The commitment calls for predictable financing, stronger domestic resource mobilisation and reforms to the international financial system so countries can build resilient health and social protection systems. 

Universal coverage as the foundation of resilience

What is needed is solidarity-based investment, a reset of the global health financing system that works hand in hand with national governments – aligning behind their priorities and strengthening the resilience of their health systems to respond to critical challenges, ensuring no community is left behind.

At the heart of these global efforts lies the principle of universal health coverage, anchored in strong primary healthcare systems. Accessible, community-based and preventive primary health care is the most effective and equitable path forward. It ensures continuity of care, allows societies to respond swiftly to outbreaks while maintaining essential services and provides support for mental health. By linking health to food security, clean air and climate adaptation, primary health care helps communities withstand the pressures of a changing environment. Investing in such systems is not only a technical decision. It is a political choice that reflects whether leaders are willing to build inclusive, resilient and sustainable health systems that put people first.

But resilience depends on more than services. It requires trust. The pandemic exposed the dangers of disinformation, as falsehoods about vaccines and public health measures cost lives and deepened divides. Rebuilding confidence in science and institutions is therefore essential. This means strengthening inclusive governance, expanding health education and ensuring that communities have a voice in shaping the services they rely on. Women and young people must be central in this effort.

Still, trust alone will not bridge the inequities that persist. Vast disparities remain in access to vaccines, diagnostics, digital tools and mental health care. In many low- and middle-income countries, funding cuts and debt burdens are weakening fragile systems. This inequity undermines not only development but also global security. No one is safe until everyone is safe. 

The time is now

The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. For women denied maternal care, for young people living with untreated mental health conditions and for families struggling to access basic medicines, the stakes are immediate and personal. For leaders, the stakes are generational. Choices made today will determine whether the coming decades are defined by repeated cycles of crisis, or by resilient systems that protect the most vulnerable and unlock human potential.

In an age when multilateralism is under strain, health must be our common ground. The future of health lies in our ability to choose cooperation over fragmentation, equity over exclusion and prevention over crisis. Leaders must recognise that investing in universal, people-centred systems is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic choice for peace, prosperity and planetary sustainability. Health is the thread that weaves together our shared aspirations for dignity, well-being and security.

As this decisive year comes to an end, the world cannot afford hesitation. Health must be the political choice that unites us. It must be the promise we make to every woman denied care, to every young person demanding a future free of preventable disease, to every community caught in the crossfire of conflict or climate disaster. Health is not a privilege for the few. It is a right for all.

The upcoming World Social Summit in Doha and UN climate conference in Belém are moments to carry this promise forward. Both will test whether we are prepared to put solidarity at the heart of multilateralism and to treat health as the foundation of resilience, justice and peace. By placing health at the centre of sustainable development, and by empowering women and young people as agents of transformation, we can turn today’s fractures into the foundation of a fairer, safer and more resilient future. The moment to act is now.