The World Health Assembly recently endorsed a resolution aimed at promoting, strengthening, and sustaining regular and meaningful social participation in decision-making processes for health. This resolution underscores the importance of empowering individuals, communities, and civil society through inclusive participation in health-related decision-making at all levels of the system.
The resolution builds upon previous intergovernmental agreements that emphasize the significance of social participation in various health-related initiatives, including universal health coverage, primary healthcare approaches, and Sustainable Development Goal targets for inclusive decision-making. It recognizes social participation as a paradigm shift in global health that has the potential to address the health needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations effectively.
Moving forward, the implementation of this resolution entails several key actions, including convening regular participatory mechanisms, strengthening capacities for engagement, ensuring equitable and inclusive participation, promoting policy uptake of participatory recommendations, allocating sufficient resources, and advancing research and monitoring efforts. WHO pledges its support to Member States in implementing this resolution, advocating for social participation as a means to reorient health systems towards primary healthcare, providing technical guidance and operational tools, documenting country experiences, facilitating knowledge sharing, and reporting progress to the Health Assembly biennially.
