3. How does health feature in the 2030 Agenda?

The 2030 Agenda provides for strong political commitment to public health. It states that “To promote physical and mental health and well-being, and to extend life expectancy for all, we must achieve universal health coverage and access to quality health care. No one must be left behind.”
Health and well-being for all at all ages are at the centre of sustainable development – as determinants and enablers of the SDGs, and as outcomes.

The 2030 Agenda sets out universal health coverage as an overarching theme and places greater emphasis on interaction with the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

Health is positioned as a major contributor to other SDGs: without health many other SDGs cannot be achieved and, at the same time, health benefits from progress towards the other SDGs. Across all SDGs there are over 20 health targets (see Annex link below). To achieve the SDG health targets, countries in the WHO European Region can capitalize on their work to implement the Health 2020 framework, whose areas and targets are consistent with those of the SDGs.