Transform Health’s Statement for #UNGA81
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As global leaders gather next week in New York for the high-level week of #UNGA81, we are just one year away from the next UHC High Level Meeting, and four years from the SDG goal to ensure everyone accesses quality health services without financial hardship. But this goal remains off track – 4.6 billion people still cannot access the essential health services they need, while 2.1 billion experience financial hardship due to out-of-pocket spending.
Digital tools and AI – if leveraged responsibly, ethically, and with the right safeguards in place – offer one of the greatest opportunities to help countries get back on track to achieve that goal so that everyone, everywhere can realise their right to health. There is increasing recognition that digitally-enabled health systems can extend access to services, strengthen health systems and improve efficiency. Digitalisation and AI are – rightly so – dominating global discourse, including importantly discussions on their governance and regulation. But are the myriad of conferences, initiatives, working groups and discussions leading to concrete action? Or are they fragmented discussions – with consensus on what is needed, but lacking actionable progress and accountability? The result is that innovation continues to outpace the governance needed to ensure it delivers health equity, and does no harm.
Harnessing Digital Cooperation Day for accountability on digital health, data governance and AI
Digital Cooperation Day 2026 (taking place on 21 September) will bring together government representatives, private sector, civil society, academia, and industry leaders to explore the building blocks of national digital transformation and opportunities to accelerate impact through collaboration and partnership. A core focus must be on concrete actions to strengthen legislative and regulatory frameworks for the equitable and rights-based governance of digital health, health data and AI – including through regional and global cooperation to align on what is needed.
Across the multilateral system, we are seeing several global processes and meetings all speaking to the challenge of governing data and AI responsibly – including the Global Digital Compact (adopted by all 193 UN member states in 2024); the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and WSIS Forum in July this year; the Working Group on Data Governance at all Levels (which had its 7th meeting last week); and the Independent International Scientific Panel and the High-level Advisory Body on AI.
In the health sector, this year’s World Health Assembly in May saw strong political support and convergence among Member States around the need for a global framework on health data and AI governance.
Together, these opportunities create real momentum. But for this to happen, they must not be disjointed conversations – they must build coordinated action towards a shared goal of ensuring responsible data and AI governance – anchored in accountable legislative frameworks – to improve health outcomes, build greater trust, and ensure more resilient health systems that deliver UHC. Digital Cooperation Day should be harnessed as an accountability moment for that progress.
Building on global processes towards accountable action in health
As we look ahead to the next High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in 2027, governments must make strong commitments and action to harness the transformative potential of digital health to accelerate progress towards UHC, while putting in place the legislative guardrails to ensure it is equitable, ethical and responsible. While the previous Political Declaration in 2023 made some important commitments, it did not go far enough, including to adequately address effective and equitable governance of health data and AI. We cannot miss the mark again in 2027.
This builds on the strong political support signalled at this year’s World Health Assembly for a global framework on health data and AI governance. Such a resolution would establish clear, non-prescriptive protocols for cross-border data sharing and harmonise legislative provisions while respecting national sovereignty. We must now maintain this momentum towards endorsement by Member States at next year’s Assembly in May 2027.
Regional leadership and progress – a model for future global alignment
While global momentum is building, regional leadership and action is charting the way. We are seeing notable regional progress with the imminent Africa CDC-led Continental Health Data Governance Framework set for adoption at the AU Summit in February 2027, and the European Health Data Space. These demonstrate that regional coherence is achievable in establishing legislative and regulatory foundations required for the governance of health data and AI. This offers a model that global processes can learn from.
On 24 September, Transform Health’s CEO Mathilde Forslund will be part of Foreign Policy’s Health Forum @UNGA81, joining leadership from Africa CDC for a fireside conversation on the Continental Framework. The conversation will explore how Africa is developing a forward-looking legal and regulatory framework for health data and AI governance, while discussing the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement in the process.
From political commitment to concrete action
What is most important now is sustained political commitment to carry this momentum from convergence to concrete, government-endorsed action in 2027.
To unlock the potential of our AI and digital future on better health outcomes for all, Transform Health is calling on global leaders at UNGA81 to:
- Leverage UNGA and Digital Cooperation Day to build coordinated action across these multilateral spaces and moments, ensuring they drive actionable progress and accountability, including towards a global framework for the governance of health data and AI.
- Endorse a Global Health Data and AI Governance Framework through a Resolution at the 2027 World Health Assembly, building on this year’s convergence to reach that goal.
- Back an ambitious Political Declaration at the UHC High Level meeting in 2027, with concrete commitments to strengthen the enabling environment for an equitable, inclusive, rights-based and sustainable digital health transformation and AI, as a cross-functional accelerator to achieve UHC.