Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2017 Statement: Addressing the Health of Vulnerable Populations for an Inclusive Society

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Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2017
Statement:Addressingthe Health ofVulnerable Populationsforan Inclusive Society
We,Ministersof Health,[otherministriesasmaybe applicable],representativesof government
institutions,civilsocietyorganizations,communities,the private sectoranddevelopmentpartners,
participantsof the Prince Mahidol AwardConference2017, gatheredinBangkokon 1-3 February2017
to learnand share experiences;
1. Reaffirmingthe righttohealth enshrinedinthe UniversalDeclarationof HumanRights, the
WorldHealth OrganizationConstitution,and the 1978 Declarationof Alma-Ata;
2. Welcomingthe visionof the 2030 AgendaforSustainable Development fora societythatisjust,
equitable andinclusive,and itspledge toleavenoone behind withoutdistinctionof anykind
such as age,sexual orientationandgenderidentityandexpression, disability,culture,race,
ethnicity,origin,migratorystatus,religion,economicor anyotherstatus;
3. Notingglobal evidence on the negativeconsequencesof healthinequity, discrimination,stigma,
and marginalizationonindividuals,familiesandgroups,andthe highcost to economies,
societies andbroaderdevelopmentefforts, of social andpolitical exclusion;
4. Alsonotingthe particularburdenof ill-healthfacedbywomenandgirlsdue toincreased
vulnerability,disempowermentandthe burdentheyface caringforthe sick [Global Fund];
5. Recognizingthatimplementationof essential publichealthfunctions andmovingtowards
universal healthcoverageandhuman security [JICA]requirestrengtheningof governance and
publichealthcapacities, afit-for-purpose healthandsocial sectorworkforce withdecentjobs,
and an explicitfocuson identifyingand meetingthe needsof vulnerablepopulations and
populationsatrisk, includingensuring effective accesstohealth information, affordable care,
equitable andsustainableaccesstolife-savingtechnologies;aswell asaddressingtrade-related
barriersthat hamperaccessibilityof essential medicinesbyadoptingTRIPSflexibilities;
6. Aware of the critical role of geographicandaffinity communitiesin reversingsocial exclusion
and advancinghealthandhealthequity,andacknowledgingthatreachingthose mostexcluded
requiresstrengthening of communitysystems, enhancingof community-healthsystems,and
empoweringpoliticallymarginalized groups,includingwomen andgirls,childrenand
adolescents, youngpeople,olderpersonsinneedof long-termcare, people livingwithHIV and
TB and otherkeypopulations,personswithdisabilities,migrants andmobilepopulations,
internallydisplacedpopulationsandrefugees, statelesspeople, LGBTI,andindigenouspeople,in
decision-making;
6. Welcomingthe reportthatresultedfromthe 2016 UnitedNationsSecretary-General’sHigh-
Level CommissiononHealthEmploymentandEconomicGrowthandthe UnitedNationsGeneral
AssemblyResolutionGlobal HealthandForeignPolicy:HealthEmploymentandEconomic
Growth (2016), underscoringthe importance of intersectoral strategiesandinvestmentsinto

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the healthandsocial sectorworkforce foruniversal healthcoverage(UHC) andinclusive growth
for all;
7. Welcomingthe reportof the UnitedNationsSecretary-General’sHigh-LevelPanel onAccessto
Medicines (2016) andin particular,itscall for greaterinvestmentsinbiomedical researchand
developmentfordiseasesof the pooranditsrecommendationstoincrease transparencyand
cooperationacrossthe publicandprivate sectorsto ensure affordable andsustainable accessto
life-savingtechnologies;
8. Recallingthe RioPoliticalDeclarationon the Social Determinantsof Health(2011) which
reaffirmedthathealthinequitieswithinandbetweencountriesare politically,sociallyand
economicallyunacceptable,aswell asunfairandlargelyavoidable;
9. Recallingthe UnitedNationsResolutiononGlobal HealthandForeignPolicy(2012),endorsing
the conceptof UHC andurginginvestmentsinhealthwiththe aimtoensure universalaccessto
basichealthserviceswhile protectingfromfinancial hardshipswithparticularfocusonthose
mostin need,includingpoorandvulnerablepopulationgroupsandthose inrural and remote
areas;
10. Alsorecallingthe NewYorkDeclarationforRefugeesandMigrants (2016) that expressesthe
political willof worldleaderstosave lives,protectrightsandshare responsibility,tobenefit
refugees,migrants,those whoassistthem, andtheirhostcountriesandcommunities [WHO].
11. Agree to worktogetherandacross sectors and levels toadvance the healthof vulnerable and
marginalizedpopulations,promote social inclusion, andtackle the rootcauses of health
inequitiesandthe economic,social,andenvironmental determinantsof health,inparticular;
National governments,inpartnershipwith civil society organisationsand communities,and with
support from developmentpartnersas appropriate, to:
a. Developand/orstrengthencapacities tomeasure andunderstandthe causesof health
inequitiesandmonitorprogressonsocial inclusion of vulnerable andexcluded populations at
the national andsub-national level;
b. Increase the allocationof domesticfinancial resourcestostrengthennational healthsystems
and promote the adaptationandreformof laws,policies,and practicestoensure the rightsand
dignityof people and addressthe determinants andconsequencesof social exclusion, stigma
and discrimination, removingbarrierstosocial integrationandwell-being, promotingand
protectinghumanrights,particularlythroughadequatesocial protectionfloorsandcoordinated
health,social andeconomicpolicies andacceleratingprogresstowardsuniversal health
coverage;
c. Ensure that communities, civil society,historicallyexcludedgroups, andthe general publiccan
engage inand inform the design,deliveryandaccountability of policies,services,programmes
and initiatives andeffectivelyclaimtheirrights;
d. Developandenforce measuresto prohibitanyformof discrimination;

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e. Encourage governmentagenciesresponsible forpublichealth,trade,intellectual propertyand
humanrightsto reviewtheirinter-relatinglawsandaddressincoherence of those lawswiththe
advancementof the publichealth interestsaspriority;
f. Ensure that bilateral andregional trade andinvestmentagreementswill nothave anyadverse
consequencestothe publichealth,especiallyaccesstolifesavingmedicines;
Developmentpartners,includinginternational organizations,bilateral,regional and multilateral
banks, Foundationsand others
g. Supporteffortsto buildthe institutional,administrativeandscientificcapacityof governments
and civil society forintegrated,multisectoral andparticipatory approachestohealthandhealth
equity, accesstojustice, anduniversal healthcoverage;
h. Facilitate south-southandtriangularexchangeof knowledgeandexperiencesacrosscountries
and regions,especiallywithregardstoachievingthe targetsof SustainableDevelopment Goals3
and 17 [JICA],andrealizingthe co-benefitsforhealthandothersectorsthroughactionacross
otherGoals;
i. Work togetherandidentifywaystowardsinclusive partnershipwithnon-traditional
stakeholderssuchas,but notlimitedto,private sector,academia andprivate foundations,while
increasingtheiraccountabilitytowardsthe broadersociety;
j. Supportthe developmentof resilientandsustainable systemsforhealthwhich are people-
centred andwhichenable communitiestomake theirfull contributiontoimprovinghealth,
payingparticularattentiontovulnerable andexcludedcommunities;
All stakeholdersincludingindustry,academia, professional organizations,healthworkers [WHO]and
others
k. Investin buildingandstrengtheningthe evidence-base andunderstandingof the particular
needsandbarriersof vulnerable populationstohealthinordertodevelopappropriate
solutions, includingthroughincentivesandinnovationstoensure thatsociallyexcludedgroups
can betteraccesshealthandother services;
l. Identify social,economic,environmentalandglobal security co-benefitsof greaterhealth
equity,andencourage actiononthe structural determinantsof healthand healthinequitiesto
realize them;
m. Encourage actionsoutside the healthsector topromote genderequalityandhumanrights,
ensure betterpolicycoherence andservice quality, includingonreducingcorruption,reducing
predatoryindustrymarketingpractices,andanyotherdiscriminatorypractices,whichcanhave
a particularlynegative impactonthe healthof vulnerablepopulations.