May 31, 2021 "The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that societies are only as well-protected as their most vulnerable members; but equally that engaged, educated and empowered communities are one of the best defences against health threats." - Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO) This practical resource is designed to help policymakers and others strengthen social participation for health decision-making and institutionalise participatory governance to drive universal health coverage (UHC). The handbook specifically focuses on bringing in the voices of people - either directly, through communities, or through civil society organisations (CSOs) - into policymaking for health through inclusive governance that ensures no one is left behind. Because centring people's voices into health policy- and decision-making is complex in practice, despite its simplicity in theory, the handbook is designed to provide practical guidance, anchored in conceptual clarifications, to support government institutions in setting up, fine-tuning, improving, and institutionalising new or existing participatory health governance mechanisms.