Сivil society at the UN high level meeting on UHC

“The high-level meeting and side events allowed us to convey the position of civil society organizations in the EECA region,” – Serhii Dmytriev, Executive Director, HAC on the outcome of the UN High-Level Meeting on UHC in New York on September 21, 2023.

“Earlier this year, HAC encouraged governments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) to include civil society representatives in their countries’ official delegations. To our knowledge, no EECA governments included civil society representatives in their delegations to the High-Level Meeting on UHC. I and three other civil society representatives from EECA – Anna Koshikova from the Eurasian Movement for the Right to Health in Prisons, Sergiu Gherman from the PAS Center (Moldova), and a representative from KNCV Kyrgyzstan – joined the meeting thanks to the special accreditation of our organizations to the UN.

Nevertheless, such events provide us, civil society organizations, with a unique opportunity to ensure that the principle of “nothing about us without us” is put into practice. The high-level meeting and related events allowed us to convey the position of civil society organizations from the EECA region. This position was based on a broad analytical framework and a number of consultations. We are pleased that the voices of affected communities from the EECA region on universal health coverage were heard at such a high level, and we expect that this will help to organize further advocacy for achieving universal health coverage in the EECA region.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that adopting the three political declarations on universal health coverage, tuberculosis and pandemic preparedness is a step towards saving lives and improving quality of life; protecting the economy and promoting social solidarity; and taking global solutions to global challenges.”