Alignment initiatives
Supporting the Lusaka Agenda
Building resilient and equitable health systems to accelerate progress towards UHC requires governments and their international partners to align with one national plan and work within national structures.
UHC2030 works to galvanize support for the Lusaka Agenda principles by facilitating spaces for open and frank exchange on concrete steps to drive this agenda forward, including in areas of joint work and oversight, cross-board collaboration and country implementation. In doing so, we hope to contribute to the evolution of the global health financing eco-system and accelerate action toward domestically-financed health systems in achieving universal health coverage.
What is the Lusaka Agenda?
Launched on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, 12 December 2023, the Lusaka Agenda represents the culmination of a 14-month, multi-stakeholder engagement process, including dialogues in Addis Ababa, Wilton Park, and Lusaka. Building on existing efforts, it outlines five key shifts for the long-term evolution of Global Health Initiatives and the broader health ecosystem, alongside near-term priorities to drive action.
- Make a stronger contribution to primary health care (PHC) by effectively strengthening systems for health.
- Play a catalytic role towards sustainable, domestically-financed health services and public health functions.
- Strengthen joint approaches for achieving equity in health outcomes.
- Achieve strategic and operational coherence.
- Coordinate approaches to products, research and development (R&D), and regional manufacturing to address market and policy failures in global health.
The Lusaka Agenda serves as a foundation for coordinated efforts to advance domestically financed health systems and achieve universal health coverage, ensuring no one is left behind. Realizing these shifts demands united action, collective commitment, and mutual accountability across all stakeholders.
Promoting effective development cooperation
For countries that receive external development assistance, adhering to effective development cooperation principles is still the most effective way to ensure coordination around health systems strengthening. The seven behaviours are critical areas international development must focus on to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage.
- Provide well-coordinated technical assistance
- Support south-to-south and triangular cooperation
- Use one information and accountability platform
- Harmonize and align with national procurement and supply systems
- Harmonize and align with national financial management systems
- Record all funds for health in the national budget
- Support a single national health strategy
These principles are anchored in country ownership and guide the actions of all partners towards more effective and aligned efforts towards HSS and thereby UHC.
UHC2030 continues to pay particular attention to country contexts where the alignment and coordination of global partners around country leadership and systems is critical but not a given, particularly in post-conflict and fragile contexts.
