Namaste! Greetings from India!

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, along with WHO welcomes the participants and delegates of the "2019 World Conference on Access to Medical Products - Achieving the SDGs 2030” scheduled from 19-21 November 2019, New Delhi, India.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an ambitious global agenda. Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) - Good Health and Well-being aims at ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Health finds mention in many of the 17 SDGs; each has a direct or indirect bearing on health. Therefore, diverse capacities are required to achieve the SDG aspirations. WHO’s 13th Global Programme of Work (GPW13) provides strategic direction for achieving SDG 3 and contributing to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Introduction

WHO embarked on 13th Global Programme of Work (GPW13) for strategic direction in Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 (SDG) for health which is vital for the future of our world. Access to effective, safe, quality-assured and affordable medical products (medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, devices) is key to making progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the SDGs. The 72nd session of the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines and other health products in an effort to expand access.

Background of the Conference

The present overarching ambit of the SDG agenda and the significant role of international engagements, particularly trade and contemporary political developments in countries make it imperative to engage for productive and tangible solutions.

Improving access to medical products is a multidimensional challenge that requires comprehensive national policies and strategies. It is important to align public health needs with economic and social development objectives and promote collaboration with other sectors, partners and stakeholders. Equally, these policies need to be in line with legal and regulatory frameworks and cover the entire product life cycle.