UNITE was recently appointed as a permanent observer of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and attended its first General Assembly in March, in Bahrain. While there, our President & Founder Hon. Ricardo Baptista Leite delivered a speech to the Assembly, urging parliamentarians to advocate for Universal Health Coverage at global and national level, as well as supporting the upcoming ratification process of the Pandemic Accord. Click here to watch the full speech.
“Health should be like love, it should be unconditional. And together, as MPs, we can make Universal Health Coverage a reality. The people around the world are truly counting on us.”– Hon. Ricardo Baptista Leite,
Portugal
Still during the IPU Assembly, UNITE attended the side-event “Leveraging the role of parliamentarians to progress towards UHC”, highlighting “practical opportunities for parliaments to take action at the country level to support progress towards UHC, with a focus on key areas of: law-making; financing (including health taxes); accountability, and prioritizing the health needs of women, children and adolescents.
The WHO (World Health Organization) and the IPU launched a new handbook for parliamentarians on Universal Health Coverage, which provides parliamentarians with tools and approaches to help operationalize UHC in their countries, as well as successful approaches used by other countries. Click here to download the handbook.
