A Global Agenda for 2025–2028: Promoting, Delivering, and Protecting Health «Part Eight»

To reduce child mortality, the focus will be on the “Healthy Child” approach, integrated management of childhood illnesses, and the identification and prevention of congenital anomalies.

For adolescents, efforts to accelerate action on adolescent health and well-being will continue through the development of adolescent health programmes, strengthening the capacity of health and social systems to respond to adolescents’ specific vulnerabilities and developmental needs, leveraging digital solutions for adolescent-responsive primary health care, establishing preventive care models such as adolescent health visits, and investing in best practices, including school health and school health services.

For older persons, integrated health and social care will be promoted to ensure continuity of care and enable ageing in place. Research across all these areas will be advanced.

In the area of immunization, emphasis will be placed on the full implementation of the Immunization Agenda 2030, particularly reaching children who have missed essential routine immunization services or received zero doses, including through the post–COVID-19 “Big Catch-Up” initiative (through 2025); expanding priority vaccines such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; introducing new priority vaccines, such as those for malaria and potentially sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, and dengue, based on robust evidence; prioritizing and optimizing vaccine portfolios by age group and product in line with country contexts; and intensifying preventive vaccination campaigns to advance polio eradication and reduce the risk of deadly vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles.

Shared Outcome 4.3: Improved financial protection by reducing financial barriers and out-of-pocket payments, especially for the most vulnerable

Capacities will be strengthened or established to collect, track, and analyze disaggregated data on out-of-pocket payments, financial hardship, foregone care, and financial barriers, in order to identify inequalities (particularly by age and gender), inform national decision-making, and track progress.

Priority will be given to eliminating out-of-pocket payments for vulnerable and marginalized populations, including people living with rare diseases, and to implementing broader reforms and policies that address both financial barriers and financial hardship related to accessing health services.

Key principles outlined in Sustainable Development Goal target 1.3 on establishing social protection systems for all will also guide policy options for accessing quality health services without financial hardship, by strengthening risk pooling and solidarity in financing to ensure that out-of-pocket payments are not the primary source of health system financing.

Emergency prevention, mitigation, and preparedness

This strategic objective addresses the growing threats to health and well-being faced by all countries due to rapid global changes, including demographic shifts, epidemiological transitions, and the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

These changes increase the frequency of both natural disasters and infectious disease risks, highlighting the need for national and global actions to reduce risks, including through a One Health approach, and to strengthen preparedness and resilience, in a context of widespread vulnerability across communities and health and food systems.

An emphasis on prevention and resilience is the most effective approach to health emergencies, as it also addresses significant risks such as antimicrobial resistance, emerging zoonotic diseases, foodborne illnesses, and the escalating food security and nutrition crises exacerbated by climate change and conflict.

This objective recognizes communities as the primary responders, often on the front lines of climate-related and other threats, and seeks to ensure that they are informed, equipped, and empowered to protect themselves, their families, and their livelihoods.

Given the rapid pace of technological advancement, this objective also addresses the ethical and responsible use of biotechnology and promotes international biosafety and biosecurity standards to prevent the misuse of biological agents for harmful purposes.

At the same time, it leverages scientific and technological advances to introduce new tools to protect health and emphasizes national and global commitments to strengthen risk reduction and preparedness capacities.