Ensuring that health systems work for all, including populations who are most disadvantaged, is an ongoing commitment for Advance UHC supported initiatives. Two streams of work in 2025 highlight how gender equality, disability, and social inclusion are being championed.
Firstly, a new Online Learning Course on Disability-Inclusive Health Systems is in the final stages of development. Building on the World Bank’s Technical Note on Disability-Inclusive Health Systems, the course is designed to equip World Bank task teams and team leaders with practical knowledge and tools to integrate disability inclusion across the cycle of projects they are engaged in, supporting the design and delivery of health initiatives that meet the needs of persons with disabilities. Upon completion, the online course will also be made available to external audiences to broaden uptake and strengthen capacity across the health sector.
The course has been shaped by valuable inputs from key partners, including the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and trade, World Health Organization, and regional organizations of persons with disabilities, ensuring alignment with global norms and lived experience. Feedback from World Bank health colleagues has further refined the content to maximize relevance for operations, with case-based modules, actionable checklists, and examples that reflect common implementation challenges and opportunities. The course will be launched in the first half of 2026.
Secondly, in Papua New Guinea, a Health System Assessment has embedded gender, disability and social inclusion to ensure that the reforms and investments being proposed truly address the needs of all people in PNG. The assessment integrates disability across key analytical areas to capture specific barriers faced by persons with disabilities, from service accessibility and quality to workforce readiness, health system governance and monitoring. To ground the findings in lived experience, consultations were held with the PNG Assembly of Persons with Disabilities, whose insights help shape priorities and recommendations for a more equitable, person-centered health system. The assessment also draws on the findings from a recent World Bank Health and Gender Assessment report for Papua New Guinea which identified prevalent challenges vis-à-vis gender-based violence, women and adolescent girls’ access to health care and comprehensive reproductive health services, and differential access to services across socioeconomic and geographic divides.