SDG policy brief: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), April 2025

Building a Better World Together: Cooperative Contributions to the SDGs is a policy brief series developed in support of the 2025 United Nations International Year of Cooperatives to showcase how cooperatives drive progress across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The policy brief on SDG 3, “Ensure Healthy Lives and Promote Well-being for All at All Ages,” published in April 2025 in recognition of World Health Day, explores how co-operatives are strengthening equitable, community-centred healthcare systems.

Drawing from real-world examples, from co-operative health centres in Uganda to inclusive elder care models in Ireland, the brief illustrates how co-operatives expand access to essential services, support vulnerable populations and build resilient health systems rooted in solidarity and trust.

Produced by the Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) and the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), this brief affirms the unique role of cooperatives in advancing SDG 3 during the 2025 International Year of Cooperatives and beyond.

Special thanks to International Health Cooperative Organisation.