Policy
Work
GSCF Policy work aims to create a global context in favor of embedded self-care policies at the country, regional and global level. Successful self-care Policy culminates in the overall engagement of key policy decision-makers to shape a favorable political, legal, regulatory, social, and economic environment conducive to the consumer health industry.
Key GSCF Policy Initiatives include the inclusion of self-care in the pioneering 2025 United Nations political declaration on non-communicable diseases and mental health. Furthermore, GSCF produces global policy tools including toolkits and briefs, and leads joint advocacy in policy areas including, but not limited to, self-care literacy, oral care, and non-communicable diseases, as listed below.
Self-Care
Literacy
Self-care literacy refers to the knowledge, motivation and competencies of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider. The empowerment that this knowledge provides to the community is key to promoting self-treating and preventing conditions, since better informed populations tend to present better healthcare outcomes Read more about Self-care literacy in our dedicated report here
Oral Care &
Self -Care
Oral health self-care refers to the daily behaviors, routines, and products people can adopt to improve and maintain their oral health, as an integral part of their overall health and wellbeing. According to WHO, oral diseases affect nearly half of the world's population, with untreated dental caries (tooth decay) being the most prevalent condition. By elevating the role of self-care in oral health, policymakers can implement strategies that take into account the needs of different populations at different points in life and that contribute to improving not only oral health but overall health and wellbeing.
Non-communicable
Diseases (NCDs)
NCDs account for 74% of all deaths globally. With those suffering from conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or other chronic conditions numbering in the billions around the world, self-care is by default a key practice for individuals and healthcare systems to better prevent and manage NCDs. Preventing and managing NCDs through self-care means changing the paradigm to a more person-centered approach, that views people as active decision-makers in their own health, not merely passive recipients of health services.
Check GSCF’s paper on how self-care contributes to the prevention and management of NCD’s, which includes key asks ahead of the 2025 UN Fourth High-Level Meeting on NCDs here
See GSCF’s 2025 World Health Assembly constituency statement on NCDs and UHC on the role of self-care in tackling the gobal NCD burden here