Background

Latin America and the Caribbean face a development crisis marked by three traps: low capacity to grow and transform; high inequality, low social mobility, and weak social cohesion; and low institutional capacity and weak governance. This scenario deepens social inequalities and limits the possibilities of advancing toward higher levels of well-being. In this context, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC, 2024) has emphasized the need to drive vital transformations in development models that allow for a transition toward inclusive social development, understood as a model that places people, their rights, and equality at the center, promoting lives free of poverty and exclusion.

Among the eleven strategies proposed to advance in this direction, the expansion of social protection and welfare states stands out. Within this framework, health occupies a central place: it not only constitutes a fundamental right and an end in itself, but also is a key driver of inclusive social development, contributing — among other aspects — to poverty reduction, increased productivity, and the strengthening of social cohesion. Nevertheless, the region's health systems present persistent structural weaknesses associated with underfunding and high levels of segmentation and fragmentation, which deepen gaps in access to services and reproduce inequalities in health outcomes. This situation is compounded by insufficient articulation with social protection systems, which limits effective coverage and generates management inefficiencies, coordination difficulties, and solidarity deficits (Marinho et al., 2023).

Faced with this scenario, ECLAC proposes the need to transition toward health systems that are universal, comprehensive, sustainable, and resilient, which are fundamental characteristics for improving the quality of life of the population and reducing the structural inequalities affecting the region, which are heavily shaped by the social determinants of health.

This implies having universal health systems that guarantee universal access and coverage to quality services and medicines, in a timely manner and without financial barriers. Likewise, advancing toward comprehensiveness means that services address the multiple demands and needs of the population from a holistic health approach, ensuring continuity of care. Added to this is sustainability, which involves finding the balance between coverage, quality, quantity, and opportunity in health service delivery, as well as financial sustainability for current and future generations. Finally, resilience refers to the capacity of health systems to anticipate, respond, absorb, adapt, and transform in the face of new needs, without interrupting services during crises. Together, these four essential characteristics enable the exercise of the right to health, reduce poverty and inequality, and bring the region closer to a model of inclusive social development.

In this context, strengthening health systems not only constitutes an urgent necessity, but also a strategic opportunity to achieve inclusive and sustainable social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is likewise essential to create spaces for discussion, in this case, around the proposed document "Universal, comprehensive, sustainable, and resilient health systems: a requisite for advancing toward inclusive social development", in order to enrich the debate and contribute to the regional reflection on the transformations needed to guarantee the right to health and reduce inequalities.

Objective

Within the framework of the United Nations Development Account project "Resilient health systems with universal coverage in Latin America and the Caribbean," this side event aims to present the document "Universal, comprehensive, sustainable, and resilient health systems: a requisite for advancing toward inclusive social development" and foster a space for analysis and commentary on its contents. The goal is to promote discussion on the challenges and opportunities that contribute to strengthening the transition toward health systems that guarantee universal coverage and access, integrate responses across the life course, and are articulated with other sectors; that are sustainable over time in terms of coverage, quality, and financing; and that have the capacity to adapt and respond effectively to crises and emergencies as part of their governance.

References

ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) (2024), Development Traps in Latin America and the Caribbean: Vital Transformations an How to Manage Them (LC/SES.40/3-P/-*), Santiago.
____ (2022), Social Panorama of Latin America, 2021 (LC/PUB.2021/17-P), Santiago.
M. L. Marinho, A. Dahuabe, and A. Arenas de Mesa, “Health and Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Centrality of Health for Inclusive and Sustainable Social Development,” Social Policies Series, No. 244 (LC/TS.2023/115), Santiago, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), 2023.