From April 14-15, 2016 the World Bank Group and USAID hosted the first annual Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Financing Forum in Washington, DC. At the forum, governments and development partners debated how to raise and organize public and private resources needed for low-income and lower- middle-income countries to assure affordable, quality health care to all of their people by 2030.

Ahead of this event, USAID and the World Bank argued in a commentary in The Lancet that while the challenge is daunting, attaining UHC and financing it sustainably by 2030 is feasible for most countries.

Webcast Links:

• Webcast: Annual UHC Financing Forum (April 14th Morning)
  9:00-9:45am: Opening Remarks & Setting the Scene 9:45-11:00: Mobilizing Public Financing for Health 11:30-12:45pm: Making the Case for Health: Prioritizing Health in Public Budgets
• Webcast: Annual UHC Financing Forum (April 14th Afternoon)
  2:00-3:00pm: The Global Financing Facility: An opportunity to reenergize the UHC financing agenda 3:00-4:00pm: Domestic Resource Mobilization and Global Health Security
• Webcast: Annual UHC Financing Forum (April 15th Morning)
  9:00-9:30am: Keynote Address by Dr. Ngozi 9:30-10:45am: Changing the Approach of Development Assistance for Health in the Face of Increasing Domestic Resources 11:15am-12:30pm: Harnessing the Potential of the Private Sector
• Webcast: Annual UHC Financing Forum (April 15th Afternoon)
  1:30-2:30pm: Looking Ahead, Setting the Agenda for the Next AUHCFF 2:30-3:15pm: Summary of the Forum Discussions 3:15-3:30pm: Closing Remarks

About the Forum:

While the last 20 years have seen unprecedented progress in health with dramatic decreases in under-5 and maternal mortality rates worldwide, there remain major challenges in reaching universal health coverage (UHC) and, more broadly, achieving the health related sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health estimated the need for an additional US$ 70 to US$ 90 billion in funding per year to scale up efforts that address the unfinished agenda of the Millennium Development Goals, take on the growing epidemic of non-communicable diseases and injuries, and strengthen health systems. Therefore, as we look toward the future, one of the most important challenges is to ensure the availability and sustainability of financing.

This Forum is envisioned as the first of a series of annual events that will bring together countries and partners to shape a joint agenda on sustainable financing for UHC and provide a platform to advance knowledge and its application in financing UHC. The 2016 Forum will focus specifically on the topic of Resource Mobilization including through domestic sources, with particular reference to improving revenue collection, prioritizing funds for health, strengthening the role of development assistance, and harnessing private sector financing.

The event will include a mix of plenary and parallel sessions and will bring together approximately 250 experts on public and health finance, including representatives from Ministries of Finance and Health from low and middle-income countries, and staff from partner organizations, including bi- and multi-lateral institutions, civil society organizations, think tanks, and academia. Some of these sessions will be webcast

Resources:

Annual Financing Forum Concept Note [pdf]

Agenda [pdf]

Background Paper [pdf]