Helen Clark on Accountability and Universal Health Coverage — Accountability Breakfast, UN General Assembly Week (2019)

Reference Summary (Video)

Abstract

This reference summary presents key information from the following video: https://youtu.be/x3ypJAPP5_k. The source is a video segment published by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), featuring Helen Clark speaking at the Accountability Breakfast during United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Week in September 2019. In this intervention, Helen Clark highlights the critical role of cross-sectoral investments in improving health outcomes, emphasizing that significant progress in maternal and child survival depends on factors beyond the health sector, including education and social development. She underscores the importance of education—particularly for girls and women—as a key determinant of health, contributing to improved child survival, delayed marriage and pregnancy, and greater economic empowerment. The discussion further addresses accountability in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), noting that international organizations such as the World Health Organization are accountable to member states and must respond to their needs. Clark emphasizes that while global institutions provide frameworks and coordination, effective implementation and accountability must be driven at the country level through collaboration between governments, civil society and parliaments.