Palliative care must be prioritised to fully meet sustainable development goals

The UN Sustainable Development Summit, held last weekend at the UN Headquarters in New York, marks the culmination of a two-year negotiating process, involving all 193 UN member states, as well as civil society groups and the public. It will signal the formal adoption of the new sustainable development agenda.

Transforming our world

The Summit has committed to 17 global goals aiming to "transform our world" over the next 15 years. 

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the summit “will chart a new era of sustainable development in which poverty will be eradicated, prosperity shared and the core drivers of climate change tackled.” 

Palliative care and the SDGs

Palliative care is part of the Sustainable Development Goals under Goal 3: ‘Good Health and Well-being', which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and specifically under the targets related to Non-Communicable Diseases and Universal Health Coverage.

The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance has welcomed the adoption of the new global goal on health. In a statement released yesterday, the WHPCA noted that: “Palliative care is a vital component of the basic and essential services within Universal Health Coverage as defined by the World Health Organization. As such, universal access to palliative care is a fundamental requirement to achieve this global goal for those facing serious illness and potentially the end of life. 

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