With the WHO Conference on the Social Determinants of Health wrapping up today, the official Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health has just been released. While this will likely garner the most media attention, it is also important to take note of the Alternative Civil Society Declaration on Protecting the Right to Health through action on the Social Determinants of Health, which was released yesterday.
The Alternative Declaration, which so far has been endorsed by 22 civil society organizations and many individuals, lists 10 areas for urgent action by member states and the WHO on the social determinants of health, including developing publicly-funded health systems, implementing progressive taxation, enhancing democratic and transparent decision-making, and improving monitoring systems.
Margot Lettner, Principal at Wasabi Consulting and an Associate of The Wellesley Institute, is in Rio de Janeiro and will be blogging about reactions to both the official Rio declaration and the Alternative Declaration.