The sustainable development goals (SDGs) of Transforming our world, the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, 1 and specifically SDG 17, call for cooperation, collaboration and partnership between government, civil society and businesses. To reach the agenda’s objectives, the international community needs to find ways to effectively harness the public and private sectors. The SDGs are integrated and indivisible, with progress in one area dependent upon progress in others. Both the private and public sector are needed to meet the health-related SDG 3, including the target of universal health coverage (UHC) and related goals such as SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure). In the health area, the private sector refers to all non-state actors involved in health: profit and not-for-profit, formal and informal, domestic and international. Almost all countries have mixed health systems, with goods and services provided by the public and private sector, and health consumers requesting these services from both sectors. Therefore, efforts towards UHC cannot ignore the private sector. The private sector’s involvement in health systems is significant in scale and scope and includes the provision of health-related services, medicines and medical products, financial products, training for the health workforce, information technology, infrastructure and support services…..more