Political will at the highest level is a driver to elevate health, especially the health of the most vulnerable and marginalised populations, to the top of national agendas. As legislators, overseers of government action and community leaders, Members of Parliament play a key role in this regard.

The global organisation of parliaments, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), works closely with WHO, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis to ensure access to health services for all without discrimination. This work includes development of required capacities and competencies in parliaments to contribute to better health outcomes for women, children, adolescents, and other marginalised groups like men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs. The ultimate goal is to provide a strong contribution to some of the health SDG targets, in particular to efforts to end AIDS by 2030; expand access to health services; and implement the provisions of the Global Strategy on Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.

At the global level, the IPU ensures parliamentary contribution to key global health mechanisms and processes. For example, the first-ever parliamentary meeting at the 69th World Health Assembly in 2016 highlighted how, in holding a unique position as the voice of their constituents, parliamentarians can play a key role in prioritising actions and resource allocations which protect everyone's right to the highest attainable standard of health. At the global level, the IPU is represented by its President on the High Level Steering Group for Every Woman Every Child Movement and by the Secretary General in the Lead Group of the Scale Up Nutrition Movement.

At the national level, the IPU works closely with parliaments in tackling inequalities in health and making sure that special attention is paid to the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalised populations. As a result of collaboration with the IPU, the Parliament of Uganda increased funding for health workers in rural areas, and parliamentarians in Rwanda intensified outreach to adolescents on sexual and reproductive health issues. In these and many other similar cases, the IPU ensured a bridge between its technical partners and parliaments, making sure that scientific evidence found its way into parliamentary action on health.

The IPU’s work on health is spearheaded by the IPU Advisory Group on Health, a small group of legislators who lead efforts in their parliaments on HIV/AIDS and women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health. The Advisory Group also serves as an editorial board for IPU’s publications on health that it produces in close cooperation with its partners.

Written by Aleksandra Blagojevic, Program Manager, International Development, Inter-Parliamentary Union