Leaving no one behind: Health equity as a catalyst for the sustainable development goals

Abstract

2019 has been a milestone year for catalyzing changes to improve health equity in the WHO European Region through concomitant progress in the sustainable development goal (SDG) targets. The WHO European Health Equity Status Report Initiative (HESRi) has captured and analyzed the relationships between inequities in health and the conditions that are essential for all to be able to live healthy and prosperous lives. The five essential conditions map directly onto a number of SDG targets, with a much broader span than SDG3 on health. They are: (i) Universal access to good-quality, affordable health services; (ii) Basic income security and social protection; (iii) Safe and decent living conditions; (iv) Inclusive social and human capital building opportunities; and (v) Decent and non-discriminatory employment and working conditions. There is certainly room for improvement in the way ahead, particularly in the availability of fine-grained and disaggregated data, and in the quality of monitoring and analysis of policy options that this would allow. However, the work of the HESRi shows that by harnessing such data it is possible to show what actions policymakers can take in the present to ensure that no one is left behind. This equity framing allows to measure whether the progress on SDGs benefits all, including those who need them most.