The Joint Action and Learning Initiative on National and Global Responsibilities for Health

Overview

“In the 21st  century, health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable access to essential care  and collective defense against  transnational threats,” declares the World Health Organization (WHO). Both elements of this statement—a shared responsibility for  equitable access to  essential services,  and a shared responsibility for collective defense  against transnational health threats—require global leadership, sustainable  and scalable resources,  collaboration, and mutual support among states,  businesses, philanthropy, and civil society.  As stated in the  Global Strategy for Women's and Children's  Health, “Global partnership and the sufficient and effective provision  of aid and financing are essential.”  In other words, global  health urgently requires enhanced global  health governance. 

This report is part of a series, The World Health Report 2010 Background Papers, which were written to inform the process of developing the key messages of the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage.