WBCSD Vision 2050 sets out the goal to achieve the highest attainable standard of health and wellbeing for everyone by 2050, calling for a world in which: people live healthy lives; societies promote and protect health; everyone has access to robust, resilient and sustainable healthcare services; and all workplaces promote health and wellbeing. Business has a significant role to play in realizing this vision, thereby creating healthier and happier societies and building business resilience.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded the world that health and wellbeing are the foundations on which societies and economies thrive and prompted much reflection about how to promote and protect health more broadly and equitably in the future.

Its force has demonstrated that robust, well-resourced and resilient health systems are vital for a wide range of economic sectors to operate and function adequately. Strengthening health systems and their resilience is more important than ever as the burden on health systems is set to increase globally, making it ever more challenging to provide appropriate care.

This white paper aims to demonstrate that businesses from a variety of sectors – far beyond the health sector – play essential roles in building health system resilience and thereby contributing to achieving the highest attainable standard of health and wellbeing for everyone, everywhere. Working in close partnerships within sectors, across sectors and with governments and multilateral institutions is key to bridge private and public domains, build capacity and enhance knowledge transfer.

It seeks to make the case that building health system resilience goes far beyond preparing for and bouncing back from individual shocks and disasters. It involves mitigating the exposure to threats as much as possible and strengthening the ability of health systems to overcome structural challenges to withstand any catastrophic event. To provide guidance, the paper outlines a number of strategies businesses can apply to help build health system resilience.

It concludes that businesses that recognize their interconnectedness and dependence on health systems can unlock transformational change. Applying a variety strategies to strengthen health systems will be an important determinant of long-term business resilience.