Global health policy in Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent global policy goals in contrast toMillenium Development Goals (MDGs), which had developmental focus. This is theglobal potential of SDGs for global health policy. However, the large number of goalsbear the risk of prioritisation between different goals and broad global frameworks andspecific targets may not be useful in shaping policy guidance and global approaches inpolicy areas, where we already have a global institutional and normative presence. Incontrast to some other global social policy areas, global health policy has also somethingto lose. SDGs are thus likely to be better for global health in other policies, than forglobal health policy priorities, institutions and practice. This is a particular concernfor the global health policy role of the World Health Organisation, global healthpolicies seeking normative action as well as for such health policy priorities, whichcontrast or conflict with other policy areas or strong corporate interests. This hasparticular relevance to multistakeholder partnerships and the role of private sector inimplementation of SDGs.