We are ordinary citizens, public health experts, healthcare workers, scientists, academics, professional associations, universities, research centers, and related institutions. We are a solidarity network committed to the main challenge of our time for this and coming generations: promoting sustainable health equity. Here you find more details about how we are organized and about people and institutions on the SHEM network.
Public institutions with good governance decide economic, social, and environmental policies, manage public resources, and deliver essential services in a manner that promotes human rights and accountability. We call for a transformational change of global governance and economy to bring together all international actors and efforts towards sustainable equity between and within countries. We struggle to emerge from the COVID 19 pandemic with a new world order that is safer and fairer for all, especially the coming generations.
The existence of large health inequities results in the basic needs of all people not being met, in a world with plenty of economic resources to guarantee those needs for all. Exposure to environmental risks are inequitably increasing due to air and water pollution, food contamination, epidemics, pandemics, and global warming. At the same time access to health services are skewed against those in greatest need. The right to healthy food, opportunity and self-actualization is often unmet by lack of lifelong education and space for self-fulfilment, creativity, and innovation. As a result, the burden of health inequity remains unacceptably high.