Accountability

UHC2030 aims to facilitate accountability for progress towards health systems strengthening and UHC and contribute to a more integrated approach to accountability for health in the SDGs. 

The UHC2030 accountability strategy for 2018-19 including a work plan for 2018 is now available. This was approved by the Steering Committee in December 2017.

The ambition of UHC2030’s accountability work is to ensure progressive realisation of UHC happens at country level, working through partners to promote participatory processes to shape priorities, identify emerging challenges and mobilise political will for corrective actions. We seek to complement what other partners are doing on accountability, and forge synergies for health system wide efforts.

By the end of 2019, UHC2030 will have contributed to:

1. Strengthened social accountability and engagement by civil society, the media and parliaments to hold governments accountable for sufficient investment, robust policies and plans, and timely and effective implementation to leave no one behind in pathways towards UHC.
2. Improved mechanisms for governments, civil society and the media to hold development partners accountable for sufficient, appropriate and well-coordinated investment in health system strengthening and UHC, and adherence to the principles of effective development cooperation.
3. Better understanding of mechanisms to hold the private sector to account for their role in accelerating progress towards UHC and leaving no one behind.
4. Synergies and better alignment across sub-sectoral health accountability initiatives at country and global levels – this is cross-cutting.

The UHC2030 Core Team is responsible for developing and implementing the strategy and work plan, in close collaboration with a range of stakeholders, related initiatives and other areas of work within UHC2030. 

As part of our work to strengthen social accountability, UHC2030, the UHC2030 Civil Society Engagement Mechanism, and the World Health Organization have convened a Social Participation Technical Network (SPTN) for UHC under the Health Systems Governance Collaborative. Few countries systematically and meaningfully engage populations, communities and civil society in health sector decision-making processes. Yet participatory governance can make public policy more responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable groups, making ‘leaving no one behind’ a reality as countries take steps towards UHC. Participation is a key mechanism to empower vulnerable groups to claim their rights and hold the government, as the primary duty bearer, to account.

The SPTN is a time-bound multi-stakeholder group to advise on the development of a WHO Handbook on Social Participation for UHC, and to mobilise political will for social participation as a core principle in UHC reform processes. Here are the ToRs and list of members of the SPTN.

Photo by Sebastian Liste (WHO)