Essential medicines play a crucial role in upholding public health, and serve as a benchmark for the development of the pharmaceutical sector in countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over two billion people globally still lack access to essential medicines, underscoring the urgent need for reform. Despite the need for a strong guideline in order to bring forth equitable access, discrepancies continue to persist in the entire structure of development, manufacturing, and distribution of medicines. For instance, a 2023 WHO report found that up to 50% of medicines in some low-income countries are unavailable or unaffordable to the population. Furthermore, ambiguous and intricate mechanisms, closely tied with business and financing, prevent the public from gaining a clear view of the problem. This agenda aims to call for transformative action towards increased transparency globally, identifying and analyzing past contributions such as the TRIPS international agreements which influence access to medicines.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)—including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory illnesses—cause over 70% of global deaths, with the heaviest impact on low- and middle-income countries. The WHO NCD Compact 2022–2030 aims to accelerate prevention, treatment, and management of these conditions through telemedicine. Telemedicine offers a transformative way to achieve these goals by providing remote diagnosis, monitoring, and care, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. This agenda challenges delegates to design strategies for integrating telemedicine into national health systems to improve access, equity, and outcomes, while overcoming barriers such as infrastructure shortages, regulatory gaps, and digital inequality.