Event summary: Voices for Change: Sustaining Momentum toward the 2027 UN High-Level Meeting on UHC

On 4 March 2026, UHC2030 and the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM) for UHC2030 convened global health advocates, civil society organizations, youth representatives and policy stakeholders to reflect on the outcomes and advocacy impact of the 2025 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day campaign and to discuss how to sustain momentum in the lead-up to the 2027 United Nations High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Universal Health Coverage.

Through a combination of strategic reflections, grassroots experiences, and a practical demonstration of advocacy tools, the event highlighted how civil society, youth leaders and global partners can translate political commitments into concrete action. It also introduced the ACT for UHC report and data dashboard, designed to help advocates track government commitments and strengthen accountability in the run-up to the next global political declaration on UHC.

1. Setting the stage: Why the road to 2027 matters

The session was opened by Eliana Monteforte, Director of International Advocacy and Engagement at the Global Health Council and a member of the CSEM for UHC2030 Advisory Group. She welcomed participants from across regions and outlined the objectives of the webinar. She emphasized that the global UHC movement is entering a crucial advocacy period as preparations begin for the 2027 UN High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Universal Health Coverage. The HLM will assess progress on commitments made in the 2023 Political Declaration on UHC, while also shaping the future trajectory of UHC efforts within the broader global development agenda.

Eliana Monteforte emphasized that the coming years represent a critical opportunity for accountability and political engagement. Governments have already made commitments to strengthen health systems, improve financial protection and expand equitable access to healthcare services. The role of civil society and advocates now is to ensure these commitments are translated into measurable progress at national and community levels. She then outlined the two central objectives of the webinar:

• Reflecting on the achievements and lessons from the 2025 UHC Day campaign, particularly how advocacy efforts mobilized global attention around financial protection in health systems.
• Introducing the ACT for UHC tools, which provide accessible data and evidence to help advocates engage governments and monitor progress toward UHC commitments.

2. Strategic reflections: Universal health coverage as a political priority

Dr. Magda Robalo, Co-Chair of the UHC2030 Steering Committee, delivered opening reflections that framed the broader political significance of the moment. Drawing on her experience as a former Minister of Health of Guinea-Bissau and a long-time global health leader, Robalo stressed that universal health coverage is not only a health goal but also a fundamental pillar of social justice and human development. She highlighted several key points:

• The 2023 Political Declaration on UHC reaffirmed the international community’s commitment to achieving UHC by 2030, but significant gaps remain in implementation.
• Many health systems continue to face structural challenges, including workforce shortages, inadequate financing, and unequal access to services.
• Financial hardship caused by health expenses remains a major barrier to care for millions of people worldwide.

Dr. Robalo emphasized that progress toward universal health coverage requires people-centered health systems, strong governance structures and meaningful participation from communities and civil society. She also noted that the global health community cannot afford to wait until the next high-level meeting to take action. Instead, sustained engagement at national and local levels is essential to ensure that political commitments translate into improved health outcomes.

3. The roadmap toward the 2027 UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage

Laetitia Bosio, Program Manager at UHC2030, presented an overview of the roadmap leading to the 2027 High-Level Meeting. She explained that the next two years represent a critical advocacy window during which civil society, governments and international organizations must work together to ensure measurable progress on UHC commitments. Laetitia Bosio highlighted several priorities for the global UHC movement:

• Mobilizing stakeholders in 2026 to maintain momentum generated by the 2025 UHC Day campaign.
• Encouraging governments to assess national progress toward UHC targets.
• Strengthening advocacy efforts aimed at policymakers and parliamentarians.

She emphasized that advocates should actively engage with governments using clear, evidence-based insights on national health system performance, identifying both progress and remaining gaps. Laetitia also underscored the importance of coordinated advocacy efforts across regions, ensuring that civil society voices remain central to the global UHC agenda.

4. Reflecting on the 2025 UHC Day campaign

The webinar then turned to a review of the 2025 Universal Health Coverage Day campaign, presented by Bethany-Kate Lewis, Technical Officer at UHC2030. The campaign was built around the theme “Unaffordable health costs? We are sick of it!” This theme aimed to draw attention to the persistent challenge of financial barriers to healthcare access. Bethany-Kate Lewis explained that the campaign successfully amplified the lived experiences of individuals and communities facing financial hardship due to health costs. By highlighting these personal stories, the campaign brought renewed attention to the need for stronger financial protection within health systems. Key achievements included:

• Increased engagement from civil society organizations, youth groups and advocacy networks worldwide.
• Strong global visibility across media platforms.
• Growing political recognition of the importance of financial protection in health systems.

Bethany-Kate Lewis emphasized that advocacy efforts were strengthened by the participation of UHC champions, the individuals and countries going above and beyond to translate UHC commitments into concrete action at national and community levels. The campaign demonstrated that collective advocacy can influence policy discussions and elevate health equity issues within political agendas.

5. Voices from the ground: UHC champions

A central feature of the webinar was a fireside discussion with two UHC champions, moderated by Dr. Magda Robalo.

Sibu Malambo, Executive Director of The Youth Platform in Zambia, shared insights from his work promoting youth participation in national health governance. He  described how his organization uses community-led monitoring and social accountability mechanisms to capture the experiences of young people accessing healthcare services. These processes involve:

• Collecting feedback from communities on the quality and accessibility of health services
• Conducting social audits of healthcare delivery
• Presenting evidence gathered from communities in national policy discussions

Sibu Malambo explained that these efforts have helped bring youth perspectives into high-level decision-making spaces, including national health technical working groups and the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism. He emphasized that the inclusion of young people in health governance strengthens accountability and ensures that health policies respond to real community needs.

Tadhi Sucharitakul, External Affairs Advocacy Assistant at the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), then spoke about the role of youth advocacy in shaping health policy debates. She highlighted initiatives aimed at building the capacity of young advocates to participate effectively in policy discussions, including workshops focused on evidence-based advocacy for financial protection in health systems.

Tadhi Sucharitakul described how youth-led initiatives in Thailand have helped ensure that young people’s perspectives are reflected in national health policy processes, including the Youth National Health Assembly. She emphasized that youth engagement is crucial because young people:

• Represent both current and future health system users.
• Bring innovative perspectives and energy to policy debates.
• Help strengthen democratic participation in health governance.

6. Introducing ACT for UHC: A one-stop shop for evidence-based advocacy

The second half of the webinar focused on ACT for UHC, a global accountability framework launched on UHC Day 2025, presented by Laetitia Bosio. ACT for UHC aims to support advocates, policymakers and partners in tracking progress on UHC commitments. It includes two main components:

1. A global report analyzing progress toward UHC commitments made in the 2023 Political Declaration.
2. An interactive data dashboard providing country-level information.

ACT for UHC was developed to address a common challenge : assessing whether political commitments translate into action. By providing accessible and user-friendly data, the platform allows advocates to monitor national progress toward UHC commitments, identify policy gaps and priority areas and support evidence-based dialogue with decision-makers. Laetitia Bosio provided a detailed walkthrough of the dashboard’s features, showing participants how to access country profiles, explore indicators related to health system performance, and track progress on key commitments from the 2023 Political Declaration. 

The dashboard is designed to support advocacy at multiple levels. For example, advocates can:

• Use country data to engage with national governments
• Present evidence to parliamentarians and health ministries
• Inform media and public advocacy campaigns.

Participants were encouraged to explore their country’s data and use it as a basis for policy dialogue and accountability efforts.

7. Interactive polls, audience engagement and Q&A

The webinar included several interactive polls using Mentimeter, designed to gather insights from participants. Questions focused on:

• How participants currently use data in advocacy
• Which ACT dashboard features are most relevant to their work
• How they plan to use ACT data in the coming months.

Responses revealed that while many advocates recognize the importance of data in advocacy, they often lack accessible tools and clear guidance. The ACT for UHC dashboard was therefore presented as a practical solution to support evidence-based advocacy. 

The session concluded with a question-and-answer segment, during which participants asked about:

• Strategies for engaging policymakers effectively
• Ways to integrate civil society voices into national health planning
• Opportunities for collaboration among advocacy networks

Speakers emphasized the importance of sustained engagement with governments and the need to combine data-driven advocacy with community voices and lived experiences.

8. Closing reflections and calls to action

In closing remarks, the moderator summarized the key messages from the discussion. Three core themes emerged from the webinar:

• Momentum: The success of the 2025 UHC Day campaign demonstrated the power of collective advocacy and global mobilization.
• Action: The years leading to the 2027 High-Level Meeting represent a crucial period for accelerating progress toward universal health coverage.
• Evidence: Tools like the ACT for UHC report and dashboard can strengthen accountability by providing advocates with reliable data.

Participants were encouraged to remain engaged through upcoming advocacy initiatives, including the next 2026 UHC Day campaign, the #HealthCostsHurt campaign, and other global health forums.

The webinar concluded with a reminder that achieving universal health coverage requires sustained commitment from governments, civil society and communities alike, reminding participants that the path to the 2027 UN High-Level Meeting on UHC will ultimately determine whether global commitments translate into real progress toward health for all.

Did you miss the event? Watch the recording here: