Hilson Cunha Filho’s Post

At the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA), Member States endorsed a resolution to implement, strengthen and sustain regular and meaningful social participation in decision-making processes for health. Social participation means empowering people, communities and civil society through inclusive participation in decision-making processes that affect health across the policy cycle and at all levels of the system. https://lnkd.in/dFzaTtpc

Yesterday the World Health Assembly endorsed a resolution to implement, strengthen and sustain regular and meaningful social participation in decision-making processes for health. Social participation, as defined by WHO, means empowering people, communities and civil society through inclusive participation in decision-making processes that affect health across the policy cycle and at all levels of the system. The resolution acknowledges the instrumental role that social participation can have in fostering mutual respect and trust, while making health systems more responsive, equitable and resilient.

As the #WorldHealthAssembly convention continues under The theme of All for #Health, #Health for All, The recognition of #socialparticipation as an integral component in #globalhealth and its goal towards meeting the health needs of #people in particular those who are #vulnerable and #marginalized is #PROGRESS! As the #PandemicAgreement is being deliberated AHF has been vocal through the organizations #SOScampaign, in encouraging governments not to sign up to it in its current state as it does not uphold #Equity, it is not favorable to the #GlobalSouth and when the next pandemic hits humanity, poorer countries will find themselves living the #realities of #COVID-19. We need to learn from the covid experience and #advocate for a pandemic agreement that prioritizes all lives. Social participation fosters empowerment, which in turn creates advocates in spaces where voices are muted or invisible. Communities have the power to drive change. AIDS Healthcare Foundation Africa Bureau has launched the community power voices (CPVs) showcasing the organisation's innovative approach to drive advocacy in the public health space! #letcommunitieslead #WHA World Health Organization (WHO) https://lnkd.in/d5t2fC2f

Social participation empowers individuals, communities, and civil society to impact health decision-making, creating health systems that are equitable, resilient, and responsive to people’s needs. Click to read our blog on the need to ensure inclusion. https://lnkd.in/eJaAKE72

Please read the below editorial from the upcoming patient led issue of the BMJ to find out more about the landmark WHO resolution on social participation for health. "If people are empowered to fully partner in health, the resources, intelligence, and capacities of our health systems will exponentially increase." https://lnkd.in/eUMTYcCz

In an unprecedented move, world leaders have committed to embedding social participation in health systems, as per a new WHO resolution. This commitment aims to empower individuals and communities in health decision-making processes. Read more about this groundbreaking development here: https://ow.ly/eng350SLqrK #PublicHealth #SocialParticipation #WHO

A bit later than planned, but I finally had chance to read through the WHO endorsement on social participation in health, agreed a few weeks ago. A notable, though not necessarily surprising, absence in the list of countries proposing the resolution but otherwise a brilliant step forward for that this has been unanimously agreed and endorsed. It's particularly good to see an emphasis on long-term sustained approaches, addressing inequity, and creating the conditions for equitable, diverse and inclusive participation. It'll be interesting to see how Governments are held accountable for progress. Here's what WHO members are being asked to do: (1) strengthening public sector capacities for the design and implementation of meaningful social participation; (2) enabling equitable, diverse and inclusive participation with particular focus on promoting the voices of all those in vulnerable and/or marginalized situations; (3) striving to ensure that social participation influences transparent decision-making for health across the policy cycle, at all levels of the system; (4) implementing and sustaining regular and transparent social participation using a range of mechanisms supported by public policy and legislation; (5) allocating adequate and sustainable public sector resources in support of effective social participation; (6) facilitating capacity strengthening for civil society to enable diverse, equitable, transparent and inclusive social participation; and (7) supporting related research, and piloting projects/programmes and their monitoring and evaluation to promote implementation of social participation

Social determinants shape health outcomes and inequities, necessitating multifaceted, collaborative policies and interventions to improve public health equity. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gnK9r_y5

Reflecting on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “Call to Action,” I’m reminded of our collective journey toward understanding and integrating Social Determinants of Health (#SDOH) into our healthcare frameworks. This initiative is a significant milestone, echoing our long-standing advocacy for a holistic approach to #healthequity—one that values community insights and seeks to dismantle systemic barriers. As we navigate this transformative period, the emphasis on community-centric strategies and cross-sector collaboration offers a renewed sense of purpose. It’s both validating and motivating, reinforcing the importance of our continued efforts to advocate for systemic change. This is more than a professional endeavor; it’s a personal mission. It inspires me to leverage my experiences and insights to contribute meaningally to this collective journey. The path ahead is filled with challenges and opportunities, but the potential for impactful change has never been clearer. I will like to hear your thoughts. How can we, as a community of health equity advocates, drive forward the changes envisioned in this “Call to Action”? https://lnkd.in/eAX_4PaW #CommunityHealth #Innovation #healthcareonlinkedin

Overnight, The World Health Assembly meeting (#WHA77) adopted the resolution: “Social participation for universal health coverage, health and well-being.” https://lnkd.in/euhKhcgh This resolution sends a very clear message at a global level of the importance of involving people in decision-making processes across all levels of health system and policy. We encourage you to look at the whole document (its only a few pages). As a teaser, we’re drawing your attention to 3 of the statements we think are key within this resolution, and encourage you to think about how Australia can deliver on them. (For example, is a revised National Statement on Community and Consumer Involvement in Health and Medical Research (currently open for submissions until 16 June) one avenue for supporting these ideas?): (PP9) Noting the WHO definition of social participation as empowering people, communities and civil society through inclusive participation in decision-making processes that affect health across the policy cycle and at all levels of the system (PP12) Recognizing that empowering people, communities and civil society for equitable, diverse and inclusive participation involves strengthening their capacities to meaningfully engage, financing their participation, valuing lived and living experiences, and addressing power imbalances in the design of the participatory space (PP14) Noting also that public policies and legislation may help to implement, fund and sustain social participation for health and well-being, promote transparency, and facilitate the inclusive, equitable and diverse representation of the population #WHA77 #socialparticipation #inclusion #diversity #health #healthsystem #policy #decisionmaking #meaningfulengagement #PPI