RDI Side Event UN High Level Meeting on UHC

RDI, in partnership with the Spanish Mission to the UN and the Swedish Mission to the UN, will hold a formal side event during the United Nations High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in New York City on September 21th: “Engaging the UN System and Member States to Achieve UHC for PLWRD: A Blueprint for Leaving No One Behind”.

The event will feature high-level participation, including His Excellency Mr Aurélien Rousseau, the French Minister of Health and Prevention, Her Excellency Mrs Acko Ackenberg Johansson, Swedish Minister of Public Health Care, and Her Excellency Dr Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health for the State of Qatar. Her Majesty The Queen Silvia of Sweden will also participate in the event via a video statement.

This event is the continuation of years-long advocacy by RDI and its partners. Since the Political Declaration on UHC in 2019, in which rare diseases are specifically mentioned, and the milestone UN Resolution on “Addressing the challenges of persons living with a rare disease and their families”, RDI has solidified the key tenets of UHC for Rare Diseases through regional consultations.

The objective is to highlight national successful actions implementing UHC for rare diseases, to explore methods to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses shouldered by PLWRD and their families, and to draw some quick wins for policy makers and stakeholders to implement.

The event will be in a hybrid format.

For more information, please see the event page.