The 2024 United Nations Civil Society Conference, held at United Nations Offices in Nairobi, Kenya on the 9th-10th May 2024, became a stage for impassioned rights-based advocacy as health-focused civil society organizations demanded a more prominent role in the Pact of the Future. The Pact is a framework emerging from the conference discussions ahead of the Summit of the Future later in the year.
Under the umbrella of the Health Impact Coalition, KELIN facilitated a collaborative advocacy effort with national, regional and international health civil society organizations (CSOs) including ITPC, STOPAIDS, GNP+, Global Fund, Framework Convention on Global Health Alliance, EANNASO and Restless Development among others on the Pact. The organizations successfully staged a peaceful demonstration which culminated in the issuance of a joint Health CSOs Statement on the Pact of the Future. Th primary demand was for the integration of health-related priorities in the Pact of the Future, with a human rights and gender lens emphasis in their implementation.
Expressing concerns over the draft version of the Pact (which inadequately addressed health, human rights, and gender), the Coalition called for explicit commitments from governments to provide essential health services as a public right. Additionally, the Coalition urged for the health agenda to feature prominently in the Pact’s sections concerning development finance and global governance transformation. Despite the absence of a health-related focus in the Pact’s current form, the Coalition’s actions underscored the urgency of prioritizing health in national, regional and global frameworks. A joint report from the World Health Organization and World Bank Group shows progress towards providing the world with universal healthcare is stagnating and more than half of the global population is still not covered by essential health services. Read more about it here.
KELIN also actively engaged in panel discussions aligned with our work in digital health and rights space, emphasizing themes of sustainable development and human rights at the Conference.We also seized the opportunity to network with CSOs partners and explore collaborations to amplify the impact of our initiatives, while actively participating in knowledge-sharing sessions to enhance innovation in future programming and advocacy strategies.
As the conference concluded, there was emphasis on the critical role civil society plays in the realization of human rights and holding governments accountable for their obligations. A resounding call for health to be at the forefront of the global agenda reverberated, signaling a commitment from civil society actors to ensure that no one is left behind in the pursuit of a more equitable and sustainable future.
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Olendo Obondo
Programme Officer
Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV & AIDS (KELIN)
Kuwinda Lane, Karen C, off Langáta Road
