First regional consultations on UHC in EECA and Balkan countries

Eamon Murphy: “UNAIDS is with you! Let’s cooperate to achieve UHC”

On November 7-8, 2022, regional consultations on universal health coverage (UHC) and health care reforms were held by activists in the field of HIV infection, tuberculosis, hepatitis, reproductive health, representatives of civil society, key groups and communities for the first time in Eastern Europe/Central Asia (EECA), as well as the Balkan Peninsula. The event was organized by the Health Advocacy Coalition in partnership with the UHC 2030 Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM/UHC2030). The events were supported by the Robert Carr Foundation in collaboration with CAAPL and GNP+.

The first meeting was opened by Eamon Murphy, UNAIDS Regional Director for EECA, and Michel Kazachkin, Special Adviser, WHO Regional Office for Europe. Eamon Murphy specifically emphasized that civil society and community organizations play a critical role in ensuring access to health services for key, marginalized populations. Their involvement at all stages, from designing to monitoring the implementation of measures to achieve UHC, is critical to ensure that the voices of those most in need are heard.

Raminta Stuikytė, public health practitioner and activist, and Denis Godlevsky, member of the CSEM/UHC2030 working group, Health Advocacy Coalition expert, acted as experts at the consultations.

During the meetings, the main barriers to access to health services in the EECA region and the Balkans were identified, and progress towards the achievement of the UHC concept was assessed. It was noted that CSEM/UHC2030 is a key tool to ensure that civil society organizations and communities are involved in the implementation of UHC principles at the country level and defend their health agenda.
As a result of the consultations, a communiqué from the region has been prepared for the UN High Level Meeting on UHC, scheduled for September 2023, in order to prioritize the implementation of UHC principles in the EECA and the Balkan Peninsula countries. It should be noted that the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine have made the issue of achieving UHC more relevant than ever for the region.