Moving towards the Thematic Consultation on Health

Background

Nine areas for thematic consultations have been identified as part of the process for developing the Post-2015 Development Agenda. One of these is the Health Consultation, which is being coordinated by UNICEF and WHO with a conference being proposed to be supported by Sweden. Currently there are three health Millennium Development framework (MDGs) out of the eight, namely MDG 4: reduce child mortality; MDG 5: improve maternal health; and MDG 6: combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases). Going forward, however, it is unlikely that there will again be three health goals. At the same time, as demonstrated by the High Level Meeting of the General Assembly on Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), other health issues are also on the agenda. 

Medicus Mundi International Network

Beyond 2015 has appointed the Medicus Mundi International Network (MMI) to coordinate campaign input into the health consultation process. Further information, including key resources can be found on their website

Global health – beyond 2015. Symposium in Stockholm, 4 April 2013

A symposium on Global health – beyond 2015, to be held in Stockholm on 4 April 2013, has been announced by the Swedish Society of Medicine, in collaboration with The Lancet and Global Health Action. It "will include inputs from world leaders in global health, focusing on the health challenges the world faces beyond the conclusion of the current Millennium Development Goals in 2015." 

The first announcement with call for papers (the deadline for which was 31 August 2012) can be found on the Global Health Action website. The nine global health topics to be covered are:

1. Health inequalities and social determinants: the evidence base

2. Health inequalities and social determinants: human capacity and resource constraints

3. Health inequalities and social determinants: action strategies that work

4. Non-communicable diseases: the evidence base

5. Non-communicable diseases: human capacity and resource constraints

6. Non-communicable diseases: action strategies that work

7. Effects of climate on human health: the evidence base

8. Effects of climate on human health: human capacity and resource constraints

9. Effects of climate on human health: action strategies that work

The MMI website also identifies a number of concepts and topics to be promoted including:

• Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
"Demand that universal health coverage is included in the next post-MDG
development framework and the sustainable development goals."

  www.actionforglobalhealth.eu
• Framework Convention on Global Health (FCGH)
"Our aim is to articulate an overarching, coherent framework for shared national and global responsibilities for health that would build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Such a framework would frame the post-MDG global health commitments in a way that is rooted in the right to health and would advance civil society and community efforts to hold their governments accountable to this right."
  www.jalihealth.org
  FCGH and post-2015 incorporation 
www.jalihealth.org/documents
• Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
"The goal of the 2012 EuroNGOs conference (Brussels, 11-12 October 2012) is to inspire SRHR CSOs, UN agencies, donors and representatives from governments and intergovernmental institutions to engage strongly and positively on SRHR in preparation for the post-2015 global policy agreement."
  www.eurongos.org
• Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs)
"To see real change, we need an effective NCD framework, and we need it to be fully integrated into the future global development framework."
  www.ncdalliance.org/global-development-campaign
  "Thematic think piece" of the NCD Alliance:

  www.ncdalliance.org/sites/default/files/rfiles 

with more to be added in due course.  

What does this mean for sexual and reproductive health and rights advocates?

While the October EuroNGOs conference is included on the list of concepts and topics, specifically addressing SRHR, it is unclear as to how the current health MDGs are going to be included in the process as it moves forward. This is demonstrated in the topics for the Stockholm Symposium, namely Health inequalities and social determinants, NCDs and effects of climate change on human health. Given that the current health MDGs have not yet been achieved, it is important that SRHR advocates become involved in the process at the earliest possible opportunity and that the outcomes of the October EuroNGOs conference be fed into the process as it develops.