2008 is the thirtieth anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration - a commitment made in 1978 that Health for All would be achieved by 2000. It was not. Governments did not meet their commitments.
We are now at the mid-way point on the road to the Millennium Development Goals, three of which aim to tackle child and maternal mortality, and HIV and AIDS. Alma Ata is as important today as it was in 1978 and though there has been progress in achieving health for all there is still much to be done. With only seven years left to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, we still live in a world where the poor lack of access to decent quality healthcare.
Thirty years ago world leaders agreed every man, woman and child has a right to proper healthcare. Now is the time for governments to publicly reaffirm their commitments to health for all and redouble their efforts to make sure the MDGs are met.
Campaigners at the World Health Assembly targeted governments from the north and the south and will continue to do so at other events this year. ACT NOW FOR HEALTH is a joint campaign initiated by Action for Global Health, the Global Movement for Children, Oxfam International, Save the Children UK and WorldVision International, to persuade ministers from governments around the world to agree that health must be a priority in 2008. All civil society organisations are asked to lend their support to this broad call.
Visit www.actnowforhealth.org, pass on this email and put this link on websites.
