Lancet editorial on Global health, 2012, and Rio+20

Integrating health into a sustainable development framework and agenda

The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9812, Page 193, 21 January 2012

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60081-6

Global health in 2012: development to sustainability

The Lancet

In 2012 there will be a major strategic shift in global health, away from development and towards sustainability. Since 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), driven by a macroeconomic diagnosis of global poverty, have focused on investment in a small number of diseases as the most effective approach to decrease poverty. Institutions such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Roll Back Malaria, and GAVI have been created to respond to that diagnosis.

But this approach is now delivering diminishing returns. The AIDS epidemic has peaked, both in terms of deaths and new infections, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing, and the climate change crisis is an ever present threat. India is a good example of a country facing these new challenges. It has an NCD epidemic and yet still endures the highest number of maternal and child deaths in the world. The old macroeconomic approach to solving poverty-related disease is simply insufficient to meet the demand of countries. At the same time, institutional tensions are growing—the Global Fund is in difficulty and WHO is facing a financial emergency. And there are new concepts forcing their way into global health agendas—such as integration and accountability. There is a view among some development experts that health has had its decade. It is time now for other sectors to take centre stage, such as agriculture or energy.

All these issues will come into sharp focus later this year at Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (June 20—22). The summit marks the 20th anniversary of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development and the tenth anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. World leaders, stakeholders from the public and private sectors, as well as representatives from environment and development communities will convene to define a new roadmap towards economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection. The objectives of Rio+20 will be to review progress on sustainable development from previous summits, identify gaps in implementation, renew political commitment on past action plans, and find ways to safeguard the planet from future destruction from emerging threats. The two core themes will be a move towards a green economy (in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication) and strengthening the institutional framework for sustainable development, which to date has not fulfilled its potential because of a lack of coordination and coherence. The zero draft outcome document published last week lists seven priority areas for Rio+20. They are: job creation, food security, water, energy, sustainable cities, oceans, and disasters. There will be ten new sustainable development goals to be decided by governments just before the meeting—and introduced in 2015 as part of the post-2015 UN development agenda. There will be no legally binding agreements and countries will set their own targets, working voluntarily towards them. Disappointingly, health is hardly mentioned in this draft.

It is vital that this major shift from development to sustainability is governed by a clear set of principles and values. One report to draw from is The Lancet's 2010 Commission titled: The Millennium Development Goals: a cross-sectoral analysis and principles for goal setting after 2015. The authors of this multidisciplinary analysis represent many different sectors, and explain that much more could have been achieved if the MDGs were better integrated. They conclude that future goals should be built on a shared vision of development across the lifecourse, and suggest five principles: holism, equity, sustainability, ownership, and global obligation. Their report exemplifies the positive contribution the health community can make to sustainability after 2015.

The health sector has a vital part to play during the next 12 months. We need to make a strong case for health as part of sustainable development and future sustainable development goals—to protect the gains of the past decade and ensure that the unfinished agenda of the past decade is continued. However, we also need to embrace a new and emerging health agenda—one that includes NCDs and climate change. And we must sharpen our advocacy for health as we rightly integrate other sectors into this broader vision. We have an extraordinary opportunity to re-vivify global health. But we are unprepared to do so. We must identify the lessons learned from the MDGs, as well as bringing to the fore evidence for new threats and emerging challenges. The Lancet plans to be a strong partner in shaping this future health and sustainability agenda—towards finding equitable solutions to improve the health and lives of people worldwide.