WHO Special Initiative

Health inequities are linked to wider societal, environmental and economic inequities that drive the conditions in which people grow up, learn, live, work and age (the social determinants of health). The inequalities in these conditions lead to certain groups having poorer quality housing and education, fewer employment opportunities, and less access to safe environments, clean water and air, food security and health care. These factors negatively impact health outcomes, including for infectious diseases, like COVID-19.

The WHO Special Initiative for Action on Social Determinants of Health for Advancing Health Equity (SDHE) builds on the 2021 World Health Day call to action for governments, international organizations and political leaders to work hand in hand with affected communities and individuals to address the root causes of inequities and to implement solutions. It aims to develop reliable strategies, models and practices that can be adopted by WHO offices, UN staff and country leaders to address SDHE.

The goal of the Multi-Country stream of the special initiative is to demonstrate the effectiveness of strategies, policies, models and practices through improving the social determinants of health for at least 20 million disadvantaged people in at least 12 countries by 2028.

The Initiative aims to develop reliable strategies, models and practices that can be adopted by WHO offices, UN staff and country leaders to address the social determinants of health equity (SDHE). By 2024 health, social and economic COVID-19 recovery policies should be informed by impact assessments that include SDHE in at least six countries. 

WHO is supported by and working in a core international partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the University College London’s Institute of Health Equity (UCL-IHE) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL/UNISANTÉ).