According to the most recent data available , 4.5 billion people were not fully covered by essential health services in their countries in 2021. Likewise, in 2019, the total population experiencing financial hardship was estimated to be 2 billion people. To scale up action to leave no one behind, WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work, 2025-2028 (GPW 14) has an explicit and strong commitment to equity. In support of this, WHO has released a handbook with methods for the identification of barriers to effective coverage with health services. The 8-module handbook applies mixed method research approaches -- grounded in the Tanahashi framework for effective coverage -- to focus on barriers experienced by potential users and non-users of health services. The handbook facilitates the capturing of evidence on the interface between the population and the services. The handbook has four objectives. 1.To orient national authorities and partners on key concepts, definitions, frameworks and principles relevant to barriers assessments. 2.To build the capacity of national authorities and partners to design a research plan and apply diverse methods (e.g. informant interviews, literature reviews, quantitative analysis and focus groups) in barriers assessments. 3.To provide guidance for reporting on barrier assessment findings in a clear and actionable manner and convening key stakeholders to deliberate next steps. 4.To adapt the methods for humanitarian contexts, accounting for the need for differentiated approaches.

This is the report of technical meeting on strengthening data on the unmet care needs of older persons, held 10–11 June 2024 in Kobe, Japan, brought together international academics, members of the Consortium for Advancing Research and Evaluation in Tracking Unmet Health & Social Care Needs of Older Populations (CARETRACK) and World Health Organization (WHO) technical staff from regional offices and headquarters to address the critical issue of unmet health and social care needs among older persons. The discussions underscored the urgency of understanding and measuring these unmet needs to advance universal health coverage by 2030.

Health equity for persons with disabilities – Guide for action, referred to as the Disability inclusion guide for action, provides practical guidance on the process that ministries of health should lead on to integrate disability inclusion into health systems governance, planning, and monitoring processes. It serves as the foundational resource to enable ministries of health and partners to implement the recommendations in the WHO Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities. It supports Member States to meet commitments to “leave no one behind” and achieve the highest attainable standard of health for all people, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and World Health Assembly resolution 74.8 on the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities.

WHO has long recognized the link between health and education and the potential for schools to play a central role in safeguarding student health and well-being. In 1995, WHO launched the Global School Health Initiative, which aimed to strengthen approaches to health promotion in schools. This WHO guideline on school health services will contribute to the creation of a common language around school health services, will promote evidence-based care through its menu of interventions, will strengthen school nursing and school health professions around the world, and ultimately will improve the health of children.