The private sector has a critical role to play in ensuring that the newly-adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) lead to sustained positive health outcomes for all.

There is emerging consensus that the post-2015 development agenda must address both the unfinished agenda of the health MDGs, the emerging burden of chronic disease and injuries, the goal of universal health coverage and more.

GBCHealth strategically supports the engagement of business in the SDGs, with a focus on health targets and priorities. As a co-convener of the Business & Health Action Group, in partnership with Global Health Council and the United Foundation, GBCHealth works with companies to:

  • Ensure that health stays front and center in the SDGs, through private sector-driven advocacy and analysis (see example of Pfizer & GSK paper below)
  • Assess and learn from challenges and successes of the MDG process
  • Maintain a repository of essential information on companies active in the health sector
  • Explore how new and innovative partnerships can advance the post-2015 agenda

Current corporate participants in the Business & Health Action Group include Abt Associates, BD, BP, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Caterpillar Foundation, Deloitte, Coca-Cola, DSM, Eli Lilly, ExxonMobil, GE, GSK, GSMA, Gilead, HEINEKEN, Keuhne + Nagel, Merck, Mylan, Novartis, Abbvie Foundation, AB inBev, ADP, Intel, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers/Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Laerdal, McCann Health, Medela, Medtronic, Merck, Nestle, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Philips, PwC, Rabin Martin, Reckitt Benckiser, Reliance Foundation, Safaricom, Sanofi-Espoir Foundation, Sumitomo Chemical, Teck Resources, TOM’s, Unilever and Vestergaard Frandsen.

Pfizer and GSK Analysis Paper: The Central Role of Health in the Post-2015 SDGs

In response to concerns around health becoming marginalized in the SDG era — where health is one of 17 goals as opposed to three of eight under the MDGs — Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) developed a collective analysis paper reflecting the views of the Business & Health Action Group, a loose network of over 50 companies convened by GBCHealth, Global Health Council and the UN Foundation.

The Central Role of Health in the Post-2015 SDGs posits that contrary to being sidelined, the focus on health can be more present, more integral and more influential under the SDG framework. Improved health is both an end in itself and also an enabler of sustainable development more broadly, as it is inextricably linked to the 16 other SDGs. The paper calls for the private sector to “play a leading role in the translation of not only the ‘health’ goal, but of all the relevant goals, into concrete actions and measured outcomes.” Read the full paper here.

For more information contact:

Lesley-Anne Long