Addressing social determinants of health in Africa adoption of (health in all policies) approach (Item proposed by the Sudan)

Abstract

Although the United Nations’ (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) report in 2015 was optimistic, the success of the MDGS had extreme variations. According to 2007 UN report, Africa remained off track of meeting the MDG goals for fighting poverty.However, evidence has demonstrated that health in not just the outcome of genetic or biological processes; it is also affected by social determinants of health. These determinants involve a diversity of social and economic conditions which have direct or indirect influence on health, such as the conditions in which people are born, live, work and age, and the existing systems that deals with illness. On the other hand, governance and social and economic forces also influence these conditions and shape them, which in turn result in unequal access to these social and economic conditions which gives rise to health inequalities. Nevertheless, the majority of health inequalities are considered avoidable. The final report of the World Health Organization (WHO) commission on Social Determinants Health (CSDH) calls for a new global agenda to tackle health inequalities through actions on the social determinants of health through adopting an approach to health and human development in which equity is at the center of the reform in order to improve health and health equality worldwide. However, evidence has demonstrated that the majority of SDH are dealt with outside the traditional health system that exists within the health sector, as it involves the engagement of all sectors. Therefore, the adoption of a health in all policies approach is considered a crucial element to tackle SDH and to address health inequalities in the African Region.