Sustainable Development Goal 3

Sustainable Development Goal 3
Name	Sustainable Development Goal 3
Established	2015
Parent	United Nations
Focus	Good health and well-being

Sustainable Development Goal 3 Sustainable Development Goal 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Launched in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly alongside the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it integrates targets spanning maternal health, child mortality, infectious disease control, noncommunicable disease reduction, substance abuse, road safety, sexual and reproductive health, universal health coverage, and health system resilience.

Overview

The goal was adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 during meetings that included delegations from United States, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and Canada. Framed within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the goal aligns with declarations from the World Health Assembly, strategies of the World Health Organization, and advocacy from institutions such as UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, World Bank Group, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Key global health milestones informing the goal include the Millennium Development Goals, the Alma-Ata Declaration, and outcomes from the High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage.

Targets and indicators

Targets derive from resolutions and frameworks like the Declaration of Astana and WHO's Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All. Specific targets include reductions tied to indicators used by the World Bank, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, and national health ministries such as those of Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. Indicators monitor maternal mortality ratios, under-five mortality, incidence of HIV/AIDS (addressed by UNAIDS), tuberculosis (tracked by the Stop TB Partnership), malaria (tracked by Roll Back Malaria Partnership), hepatitis, and coverage metrics like skilled birth attendance and immunization rates measured by UNICEF and GAVI. Additional indicators reflect noncommunicable diseases addressed by the World Heart Federation, cancer control strategies advocated by the Union for International Cancer Control, and mental health initiatives promoted by World Psychiatric Association.

Implementation and funding

Implementation is coordinated through multilateral financing and national budgets, with actors including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Commission, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, bilateral donors such as United States Agency for International Development, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, and philanthropic funders like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust. Programmatic delivery partners include WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNHCR, Save the Children, Médecins Sans Frontières, Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and national health ministries in South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan. Financial instruments and mechanisms include pooled funding platforms like the Global Fund, vaccine procurement through GAVI, social health insurance models in Thailand and Japan, and performance-based financing piloted in Rwanda.

Progress and challenges

Progress has been uneven: reductions in under-five mortality mirrored successes in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Peru, while outbreaks and humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Venezuela, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have reversed gains. The COVID-19 pandemic constrained routine services and highlighted gaps in pandemic preparedness noted by WHO, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Challenges include antimicrobial resistance spotlighted by the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, rising burdens of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in China, India, Brazil, and Mexico, and inequities experienced by indigenous peoples in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and United States. Health workforce shortages noted by the International Labour Organization and infrastructure deficits in fragile states complicate attainment, while climate-driven health risks raised at COP26 and COP27 intersect with the goal.

Regional and country-level efforts

Regional strategies reflect coordination in the African Union through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, in the European Union via the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and in ASEAN health initiatives involving Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore. Country examples include universal health coverage in Thailand and Japan, immunization campaigns in India and Bangladesh supported by GAVI and UNICEF, HIV strategies in South Africa and Botswana aligned with UNAIDS targets, and malaria elimination drives in El Salvador and Morocco. Emergency response collaborations involve United States Agency for International Development missions, Médecins Sans Frontières deployments in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen, and refugee health programs administered by UNHCR in Jordan and Lebanon.

Partnerships and stakeholder roles

Stakeholders span UN agencies such as WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNDP, World Bank Group, civil society organizations like Oxfam International and Save the Children, philanthropy represented by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, academic institutions including Johns Hopkins University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, and University of Cape Town, as well as private sector partners like Pfizer, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and AstraZeneca. Multisectoral alliances include Global Financing Facility, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, GAVI, Stop TB Partnership, and regional bodies such as Pan American Health Organization and Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Collective action among these actors drives research, financing, policy, and service delivery to pursue the health targets set under the 2030 Agenda.

Category:United Nations