79th WHA Constituency Statements
WHO's strategy on the economics of health for all offers a vital shift, positioning health as an investment, not a cost. This is urgent: noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the world’s biggest killers, will cost the global economy an estimated 47 trillion USD between 2010-2030. Conversely, NCD "best buys" have a high return-on-investment.
We urge Member States to adopt this strategy, and commend:
Its feasible, immediate actions.
Strong normative foundations embedding social participation, equity, sustainability, and science.
The call for policy coherence, integrating health into tax, trade, and industrial policies, and connecting social policies with UHC.
However, a critical gap remains: the necessity of distinguishing economic determinants of health, like austerity, from commercial determinants. Public and private economic interests are distinct.
We urge Member States to:
Recognize the impacts of commercial determinants of health and restrict private sector collaboration to "relevant" actors with strict safeguards modelled after the principles of WHO FCTC Article 5.3.
Develop a health taxonomy extending beyond private investment supporting system-wide actions.
Promote cross-sectoral budgeting reflecting health impacts across sectors.
Strengthen fiscal policy coherence, including health-promoting subsidy reforms.
Elaborate further on trade policy and health, protecting access to medicines.
Strengthen attention to market dynamics for health products.
Ensure international cooperation to support countries with structural constraints such as SIDS.
As global health architecture reforms continue, this agenda must align health financing with disease burdens, and address broader determinants, to ensure a resilient, equitable future.