On 12 December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously endorsed a resolution urging countries to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC) – the idea that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality, affordable health care – as an essential priority for international development.

In 2014, the Universal Health Coverage Coalition started to celebrate 12 December as UHC Day, to commemorate the date on which the UN General Assembly officially recognised the importance of UHC. Since then, the day has become the annual rallying point for the growing global movement for Health for All. 

On 12 December 2017, UNGA proclaimed 12 December as International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) by resolution, making it an official UN-designated day. 

UHC Day aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage. Each year on 12.12, UHC advocates raise their voices to share the stories of the millions of people still waiting for health, to call on leaders to make bigger and smarter investments in health, and to remind the world that Health for All is imperative to create the world we want.

UHC Day 2023

Graphic with this year's UHC Day theme

The 2023 UHC Day Theme is "Health for All: Time for Action"

This year’s theme emphasizes the need for immediate and tangible steps following the 2023 Political Declaration on UHC. It urges leaders to enact policies that guarantee equitable access to essential health services without financial hardship. 

The theme also reminds us that, in a world that continues to experience a growing number of climate-related health threats, now is the time to invest in resilient health systems that will ensure #HealthForAll. By working across sectors – governments, NGOs, the private sector, and civil society – we can hold our leaders accountable and make universal health coverage a reality by 2030.

Sign up for our UHC Day updates and stay tuned for the campaign launch and resources this fall!

Role of UHC2030

UHC2030 has supported UHC Coalition partners to organise UHC Day events since our establishment in 2016. But our role is growing.

Another 2017 UNGA resolution also recognised UHC2030 as the most relevant group for providing support to Member States for developing and strengthening sustainable UHC initiatives at the national level. Building on this experience and mandate, UHC2030 is uniquely positioned to coordinate partners to organise around UHC Day across the world and is now spearheading these efforts.

Leading transparently and collaboratively, UHC2030 convenes and houses a multi-stakeholder Coordination Group on International UHC Day (12.12.CG) that includes Member States, multilateral organisations, health-related initiatives, civil society, parliamentarians, philanthropic foundations, the private sector and academia.

12.12.CG is responsible for developing the identity and campaign materials for UHC Day, building on the existing efforts of the UHC Coalition and other relevant initiatives for UHC.

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