Six guiding principles to support equity in global health programmes

Health equity is about recognising and addressing people’s different health needs. To support this, it is critical to understand how wider systems and structures have led to unequal allocation of resources, power and opportunity, driving avoidable and unfair differences in health outcomes. It is more important than ever to consider how health systems, policy and programmes reach and impact people with different characteristics in different circumstances. Thinking about principles can help guide decision-making on where to invest resources to maximise the benefit for the most vulnerable and help build a fairer world.