Queen Mathilde of the Belgians spoke at The Missing Billion in UHC event in New York City’s New York Public Library yesterday.
Her speech focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030 and the availability of reliable and affordable healthcare around the globe; the Queen of the Belgians is an SDGs Advocate.
She opened her speech by saying, “Agenda 2030 and the SDG’s have been conceived in order to leave no one behind. As we move forward in their implementation, we need to constantly make sure that our policies take into account the needs of the most vulnerable.”
The Queen continued by stressing, “This means designing solutions that respond to the particular situation of vulnerable people, whether it is poverty, lack of access to education, disease, developmental delays, disabilities or mental health issues.
“The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities underlines that, and I quote, “persons with disabilities have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health without discrimination on the basis of disability.”
She spoke of how distressing it is to see healthcare so out of reach for those in developing countries, adding that “all indicators point to the fact that, globally, we still have a long way to go before persons with disabilities, especially the poorest and most affected, can enjoy equal access to healthcare.
“Universal health coverage should be what its name says: universal.
“Affordability remains crucial and progress in accessing proper health services will remain difficult without adequate financial arrangements.”
Queen Mathilde’s full speech can be read here.
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Queen Mathilde also met with Achim Steiner, administrator of UNDP, yesterday to discuss the SDGs.
The Queen has been in New York to attend events and meetings surrounding the 74th UN General Assembly where King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and King Abdullah II of Jordan have spoken.