Fast-tracking global health goals through HPSR (event recording)

As UNGA78 wrapped up last Friday, 22 September, was an important moment to take stock of the deliberations held that week, especially regarding the three health-related high-level meetings that took place - on pandemic preparedness and response, universal health coverage and tuberculosis. A special side event co-organized by Health Systems Global and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, and co-sponsored by the governments of Japan and Norway, did just that. ‘Fast-tracking global health goals through health policy and systems research’, convened important players in both health policy and health research.
The emphasis of the event was the essential role of health policy and systems research (HPSR) in tackling modern health challenges. Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, strongly emphasized this point, noting, “Research and learning in this area is not a kind of nice to have optional extra. It's actually extremely important in helping us navigate the complexities of systems and policies.” Clark further stressed the value of research as a strategic investment, advocating for its necessity to finance ministers globally to put SDGs back on track.