Inclusive Universal Health Coverage: A Pathway to Health Equity

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a global commitment to ensure that everyone can access quality health services without suffering financial hardship. As the world moves closer to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal deadline, progress remains uneven, and millions of people still face barriers to essential health care or risk catastrophic out-of-pocket costs.

Achieving UHC requires more than expanding service coverage. It demands health systems that are truly inclusive, equitable, and accountable, and that respond to the needs of all people, especially those who have been historically left behind. Persons with disabilities, migrants, refugees, displaced populations, women and girls, older persons and other marginalized groups often face discrimination, exclusion, language barriers, legal and administrative obstacles, and unequal access to affordable, quality care.

This session will examine where we stand on the path to UHC 2030, the remaining gaps and structural inequalities, and the policy and system changes needed to ensure that no one is left behind. Bringing together voices from disability inclusion, migration and displacement, gender equality, and the right to health, the panel will explore why an intersectional, rights-based approach is essential to achieving Universal Health Coverage and advancing health equity for all.