The United Nations has warned that there is a lack of progress in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), affecting the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. These global challenges mean that the need for increasing levels of health literacy is more urgent than ever. Our responses to this are covered from a historical perspective in Parts I and II, alongside key aspects relevant to clinical practice and research. A comprehensive model for patient participation with a new perspective relevant to both research and practice is also presented. An overview of relevant qualitative research models is also described: this type of approach may provide a greater in-depth understanding of patients’ experiences of various diseases. Transforming our world for sustainable development requires a systematic and a pedagogical approach to health literacy. To this end, we examine a pedagogical model for building health literacy alongside a strategy to improve supervision. Part III showcases studies to exemplify the importance of health literacy in different non-communicable diseases and from different perspectives. To conclude, we argue that the way forward for health literacy and strategies is to increase the emphasis on this area in current SDGs, and within future policies set for achieving these SDGs. These steps would serve to increase health literacy across the globe.