Do you believe health is a human right? Do you believe people should not be pushed into poverty for accessing health services? Do you believe in a world where everyone can live a healthy life, regardless of who they are and where they live? Then you believe in Universal Health Coverage.
Global Health, Global Access is Cordaid’s advocacy programme to increase Official Development Assistance for health care.
Since 2017, the programme has been deploying powerful advocacy efforts to influence and increase the Dutch contribution to strengthening health systems in low-income countries. The programme is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Why advocate for a global approach to health?
Cordaid’s advocacy efforts start from the premise that health is first and foremost a human right. It is a basic requirement for an active and dignified life.
Strong health systems, everywhere, have proven to be crucial for a functioning global society. That is why Cordaid is an advocate for a global approach to health. This is what we call Universal Health Coverage.
Watch this video to learn more about Universal Health Coverage:
Gender equity
Universal Health Coverage cannot be achieved without taking gender equity into account, every step of the way. This is central to the idea of leaving no one behind. We need to focus on the common good, human dignity and social justice.
The role of the Netherlands in global health
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it blatantly clear that threats to our health have a global impact. The development sector and the donor community need to focus on improving health systems in low-income countries. Investing in health care in these countries will contribute to improving the health situation across the globe.
The discussion about the role of high-income countries, like the Netherlands, in advancing international development is not new. In 2015, the international community committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The agreement includes the goals of Good Health and Well-Being and Gender Equality.
These Sustainable Development Goals call on governments and organisations to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” and to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” by 2030. This can be achieved through systematic investments in global health and by making health systems stronger.
Official Development Assistance
An important investment towards achieving global health is the government’s allocated budget, called Official Development Assistance. In 1970, the United Nations agreed that high-income countries should put 0.7% of their Gross National Income towards this goal. The World Health Organisation later recommended that 14% of a country’s Official Development Assistance should be allocated to global health.
More on Official Development Assistance in this video:
The Netherlands is regarded as a global health champion, for a large part thanks to its strong legacy in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights and vaccines. Until 2010, the Netherlands had adhered to the 0.7% commitment, and in some years even spent more than 0.8%.
Unfortunately, in recent years, the Dutch government has gradually reduced its contribution to 0.55%, of which 10% is allocated to global health.
Global Health, Global Access is about increasing Official Development Assistance
The Global Health, Global Access programme stimulates and motivates the Dutch government to increase its contribution to international development, global health and health system strengthening. We do this by raising public awareness and through actions that influence policies.
Our core advocacy messages are:
- The Dutch government should restore its 0,7% GNI commitment to Official Development Assistance and a 0,1% GNI commitment to global health.
- We need to strengthen health systems in low-income countries and focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights to respond to the needs of millions of people and reach the most vulnerable and marginalised.
- Prioritise gender equity (in all its diversity) in the results of global health to ensure no one will be left behind.
The Global Health Tool
Cordaid has created an interactive tool that tracks global health financing and policymaking in the Netherlands. We transformed IATI data between 2018 and 2023 into interactive visuals to provide data-driven insights into the spending on assistance for health in low- and middle-income countries.
