Public and private investment needs to take both a holistic health lens and a broader health in all policy approach. The urgency of sustainable and equitable investing in health and well-being is proving to be more important than ever given today's intersecting global challenges. There have been extensive discussions on the need to increase investments in health especially following the experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic; focus and investments from a range of sectors have sought not just to reduce their negative health impact but more importantly to enable improved wellbeing for individuals and society. Financial institutions are also much more engaged in prioritizing these factors and several new financial instruments have been proposed.
While there has been a shift towards responsible investment by public, private and institutional investors - especially with regard to climate impact - more needs to be done to ensure that large financial flows support health, improve the health impact of economic actors and to widen the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) approach to include health considerations. As vulnerable and marginalized people groups are particularly affected by gaps and access to effective care, investment targeted towards inclusive health and its determinants also plays a crucial role for health equity.
