国連総会UHCハイレベル会合政治宣言決議採択における星野大使ステートメント

Mr. President, 
Distinguished Delegates, 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
As the chair of the Group of Friends of Universal Health Coverage and Global health, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation and deepest respect to everyone who contributed to the political declaration of the High-Level meeting on Universal Health Coverage. I would particularly like to thank the co-facilitators, His Excellency Ambassador Kaha Imnadze, Permanent Representative of Georgia, and His Excellency Ambassador Vitavas Srivihok, Permanent Representative of Thailand, for their dedicated and skillful facilitation towards this historic consensus.
 
I am grateful that the Group of Friends were able to contribute to the process by building momentum and deepening understanding of UHC as a fundamental enabler of the sustainable development goals, building on the multi-stakeholder engagement, including the Key Asks from UHC2030.
 
As Prime Minister Abe stated in his closing remarks at the High-Level Meeting, Japan emphasizes the importance of achieving UHC globally, building on its own experience of managing UHC as a key to socio-economic development and to a healthy ageing society. With the conviction that UHC embodies the notion of human security, which is to leave no one behind, we have sought to promote UHC both bilaterally and through global fora including international organizations, the G7 and most recently through the G20 presidency.
 
These efforts culminated in the political declaration on UHC, which is “the most comprehensive agreement ever reached on global health,” as stated by the Secretary-General. The declaration represents the highest commitment of world leaders to achieve UHC by 2030, including to cover all people with quality essential health services, and to eliminate impoverishment due to health-related expenses by 2030, to name a few. 
 
These commitments cut across all health challenges, including both communicable and non-communicable diseases, and go even beyond health to include human rights and financing, which all necessitate the highest level of political commitment and multi-stakeholder engagement.
 
Now, it is time for us, the Member States, to deliver our commitments. Japan stands ready to accelerate our efforts, leveraging relevant fora including the Second UHC Forum in Bangkok and the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2020, as well as the High Level Review Meeting on UHC here in New York in 2023 towards achieving UHC by 2030.
 
I thank you.