Remarks by the President of the General Assembly
Mr. Philemon Yang
High-Level Interactive Dialogue on Health Determinants
11 July 2025
[As Delivered by Vice President]
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining today’s High-Level Interactive Dialogue on Health Determinants.
I am honored to deliver these remarks on behalf of the President of the General Assembly, who sends his sincere regrets that his schedule did not permit him to attend this important dialogue.
Excellencies,
In our efforts to achieve universal health coverage for all, we must remember that health does not begin in hospitals.
It begins in homes, schools, and workplaces.
It begins in the ecosystems and contexts within which we reside.
This means that to truly leave no one behind, we must address all health determinants, whether in the operating room, the boardroom, or the classroom.
We must confront the deeper, structural forces that shape our health and wellbeing.
And we must leave no stone unturned.
While there are many contributing factors to overall health outcomes, the fundamental reality is that our health systems are only as strong as the social, economic, and environmental conditions that support them.
There are many areas in which we are falling short. The latest research confirms that:
- There is an unacceptable 33-year life expectancy gap between and within countries.
- Nearly 70 percent of workers globally lack access to sick leave, despite clear evidence that this is essential to health.
- And 23 percent of global deaths can be attributed to environmental factors—most of them linked to non-communicable diseases.
Excellencies,
Delivering quality healthcare is made only more challenging when critical determinants of health impede progress.
These include:
- The escalating impact of climate change and natural disasters,
- The absence of adequate nutrition in local communities,
- Labour and governance systems that fail to prioritize the health and well-being of workers,
- And the deepening crisis of income inequality.
This last point is particularly troubling.
Children from low-income families are among the most affected, suffering from limited access to prevention, diagnostics, and treatment needed to ensure their health.
Excellencies,
Looking ahead, we must take urgent and coordinated action – across actors and economic sectors – to address the many and complex determinants of health.
This requires a holistic, inclusive approach, involving women and girls, young people, older persons, and civil society organizations.
And it calls for efforts to ensure health determinants are addressed across all sectors through:
- Comprehensive policy and legal reforms,
- Stronger social protection systems,
- More resilient healthcare systems capable of withstanding the shocks of climate change and disasters,
- And determined efforts to overcome isolation and marginalization.
Above all, it demands bold steps to close the inequality gap that divides health systems into those who can access care, and those who cannot.
(PAUSE)
Excellencies,
Strengthening healthcare systems must be a collective, continuous, and adaptive process—one that fully recognizes and addresses the determinants that shape our health systems.
Only by working together, and by addressing these factors in a comprehensive way, will we build health systems that reflect the goal we all share:
Universal health coverage—for everyone, everywhere.
I thank you.
