WHO Representative to Lesotho remarks at the Christian Health Association of Lesotho (CHAL) Annual General Meeting, under the theme: Global Action for Universal Health Coverage.

15 April 2026

Maseru-I am deeply honoured to join you at this important 2026 Annual General Meeting of the Christian Health Association of Lesotho. On behalf of the WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom GHEBREYESUS, and the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Yakub JANABI, I extend my sincere appreciation to the leadership and entire membership of CHAL for the invitation and for your steadfast contribution to the health and well-being of the people of this Kingdom.

I stand before you today not only as the World Health Organization Representative to Lesotho, but as a committed partner, working alongside you to advance health as a fundamental human right.

Your chosen theme - "Global Action for Universal Health Coverage" - could not be more timely or more relevant. It reflects both the global reform moment we are living through and the practical choices that countries such as Lesotho must make to protect the health of their people.

Universal Health Coverage, or UHC, is not merely a technical health aspiration. It is a moral commitment. It is a social contract. It is a measure of justice, fairness, and dignity. When countries adopted the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, they affirmed that health is not only an outcome of development, but a precondition for development.

At the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, the global community reaffirmed a fundamental principle: no one should be pushed into poverty because they are sick, and no one should be denied care because they are poor.

Universal Health Coverage means that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need - including health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care - when and where they need them, without financial hardship. This is the promise that governments, partners, and health systems have made to their populations.

Globally, progress has been made toward UHC, but the pace has slowed. Gains achieved between 2000 and 2015 have not been sustained at the same rate. Today, the world is not on track to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030. Service coverage expansion has slowed, and financial hardship due to health costs remains widespread.

At the current trajectory, nearly one in four people globally will continue to face catastrophic health expenditure. These are not merely statistics; they represent families forced to choose between care and basic needs, and individuals delaying or foregoing treatment.

In the African Region, we have made remarkable progress in controlling infectious diseases. Expanded immunization has protected millions. Antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV from a fatal illness into a manageable condition. Rapid outbreak response, supported by science and surveillance, has saved lives.

However, progress has stalled in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health. Care for noncommunicable diseases lags far behind need. Deep inequities persist within countries and between populations.

These realities make one thing clear: Universal Health Coverage cannot be achieved through fragmented or disease-specific approaches. It requires strong, integrated, people-centred health systems.

The evidence is unequivocal. Primary Health Care is the most effective, equitable, and cost-efficient pathway to Universal Health Coverage. Strong PHC systems bring services closer to communities, prioritize prevention, promote continuity of care, and build trust between health workers and communities.

Every country follows its own path toward Universal Health Coverage, shaped by its context, resources, and priorities. But no country achieves UHC without placing Primary Health Care at the centre of its health system.

In Lesotho, CHAL has demonstrated through action what people-centred health care truly means. Through your network of facilities - spanning primary health care, health centres, and district hospitals - CHAL has extended essential health services to rural, mountainous, and hard-to-reach communities.

Long before global development frameworks spoke of "leaving no one behind," CHAL was already practicing it. Your work has ensured access for the poor, the marginalized, and those living far from urban centres.

The Memorandum of Understanding between CHAL and the Government of Lesotho stands as a strong example of effective public-faith collaboration. Faith-based health providers are not peripheral actors; they are central pillars of the national health system.

Lesotho has taken important steps to strengthen the foundations of Universal Health Coverage. In 2025, progress was made in health workforce governance, including the upgrade of the National Health Workforce Accounts. This has improved data for planning, deployment, and retention of health workers.

The completion of the National Health Accounts provided clearer insight into health financing flows. Advances were also achieved in quality assurance, equity assessment, and integration of services, particularly in maternal, newborn, and child health.

These achievements deserve recognition. At the same time, challenges remain. Out-of-pocket spending continues to burden households. Investment in Primary Health Care remains insufficient. Dependence on external financing persists.

These challenges translate into delayed care, treatment interruptions, and preventable illness, particularly among the most vulnerable members of society. Addressing them requires stronger financing policies, expanded publicly funded prepaid mechanisms, improved access to medicines, and multisectoral action on the social and environmental determinants of health.

Across Africa, science has driven powerful health gains. African scientists and institutions have contributed to Ebola vaccine development, genomic surveillance, and regional manufacturing initiatives such as mRNA technology transfer hubs. These achievements demonstrate that Africa is not only a recipient of innovation, but a contributor to global solutions.

Yet science alone is not enough. Innovation must be accessible, affordable, and embedded in strong health systems. A scientific breakthrough that does not reach those who need it most remains unfinished work.

This is why WHO's vision for Africa emphasizes universal health, resilient systems, modernization through digital transformation, and country ownership of health priorities.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed profound weaknesses and inequities in the global health system. In response, Member States are actively reforming the global health architecture to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response.

Central to this reform is the proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement, which seeks to ensure equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, strengthen preparedness capacities, and foster trust and solidarity among nations.

Closely linked are ongoing discussions on pathogen and specimen sharing arrangements. While sharing biological materials is essential for global health security, it must be accompanied by fair and equitable benefit-sharing and ethical collaboration.

These decisions will shape how quickly countries like Lesotho can access life-saving countermeasures during future pandemics.

Recently, WHO convened a strategic meeting of WHO Collaborating Centres in Lyon, France. The key message was clear: science must serve public health systems and communities, not operate in isolation.

WHO Collaborating Centres are evolving to focus on implementation science, capacity strengthening, and supporting countries to translate evidence into practical, affordable solutions at community level.

This creates an opportunity for Lesotho and for CHAL to engage more deeply in learning partnerships that directly improve service delivery.

Distinguished members of CHAL, this moment calls for leadership and action. I call upon you to continue placing Primary Health Care at the centre of service delivery; to champion equity by reaching those still excluded; to strengthen preparedness and resilience through One Health approaches; to embrace data, learning, and innovation; and to remain grounded in the faith-based values of compassion, accountability, and stewardship.

In doing so, you will not only advance Universal Health Coverage in Lesotho, but contribute to shaping a fairer and more resilient global health system.

A health breakthrough that is not accessible to those who need it most remains unfinished work. When science is guided by values, when faith inspires service, and when global commitments translate into local action, Universal Health Coverage becomes achievable.

Together, through science and solidarity, through Primary Health Care and partnership, we can build a healthier, more just, and more resilient Lesotho - leaving no one behind.

Thank you very much for your kind attention

Kea leboha.

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