Choice, Voice and Autonomy: Women’s political leadership for health in a fragile world

High-Level Political Forum Side Event

13 July 2022 7:30-9:00AM EST | Virtual

Watch the event recording

 

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Women’s political leadership is critical for achieving the SDGs, including improving gender equity and SRHR in UHC outcomes.

Join us for a virtual discussion tackling these issues on the sidelines of the UN High-level Political Forum

There is no other way to put it: Trends in new policies on healthcare for women and adolescent girls are regressive. This already underfunded area is being further deprioritized in the budgets of donors and governments.  At a time when compounding, ongoing crises are deeply affecting the progress made toward women’s empowerment and the health of communities, another, quieter war is waging against fundamental rights around the world. Women and girls are being cut off from education, work and access to essential primary health care services.

These reversals are happening just as the world saw the number of girls in school increasing, and the number of child marriages and deaths decreasing across the board. Response to the global pandemic brought into focus how fragile these gains were, and how women are positioned at the frontlines of the home and their communities. And yet, women are too often left out of the decision making and absent from leadership roles. 

Event speakers will reflect on how women leaders make a difference on social progress via gender equity in the context of health and education, answering the questions of: 

  • Why does women’s political leadership matter?
  • How can we encourage and support women’s political leadership?
  • How do strategic partnerships for health and gender benefit from women’s political leadership?
  • What role can men play in relation to supporting women’s political leadership?
  • How far have we come since the 2021 High Level Political Forum?

The event is hosted by Estonia and co-organized by PMNCH, International Health Partnership for UHC2030 (UHC2030), Women in Global Health and Global Health 50/50.

The event will be hosted in English with French, Spanish and International Sign Language (ISL) simultaneous interpretation.

El evento se llevará a cabo en inglés con traducción simultánea al español y lengua de señas (ISL).

L'événement sera présenté en anglais avec traduction simultanée en Français et langue des signes internationale

Agenda

Event moderated by Tikhala Itaye, Director of Movement Building, Women in Global Health

Opening video

  • H.E. Kersti Kaljulaid, Former President of Estonia, the UN Secretary-General’s Global Advocate for Every Woman Every Child

Leadership dialogue

Chaired by Rt.Hon. Helen Clark, PMNCH Board Chair and Former Prime Minister of New Zealand

  • Anita Bhatia, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women
  • Gabriela Cuevas Barron, Co-Chair, UHC2030 Steering Committee, Honorary President of Inter Parliamentary Union
  • Loyce Pace, Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Moira Forbes, Forbes' Executive Vice President and President of Forbes Women
  • Mohamed Ali Raddouai (Dali), Founder, NAFAS, National Gender Youth Activist in the Generation Equality campaign, Tunisia
  • Diene Keita, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA

 

    Closing

    • Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa
    • Poem by Mumbi Macharia, spoken-word poet, Kenya

    Speakers

    Rt. Hon. Helen Clark

    PMNCH Board Chair

    Kersti Kaljulaid

    Former President of Estonia, the UN Secretary-General’s Global Advocate for Every Woman Every Child

    Anita Bhatia

    Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director, UN Women

    Gabriela Cuevas Barron

    Co-Chair, UHC2030 Steering Committee, Honorary President of Inter Parliamentary Union

    Loyce Pce, MPH

    Assistant Secretary for Office of Global Affairs (OGA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

    Mohamed Ali Raddouai

    Founder, NAFAS, National Gender Youth Activist in the Generation Equality campaign

    Diene Keita, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

    Board Member, UN Agencies & Global Financing Mechanisms

    Moira Forbes

    Executive Vice President, Forbes

    Vera Songwe

    Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)

    Poem by: Mumbi Macharia

    Spoken-Word Poet, Kenya

    Event moderated by: Tikhala Itaye

    Human Rights Lawyer and Public Health Specialist, Malawi

    Resources

    Registration

    Statistics

    4.2%

    of jobs

    were lost by women globally, compared to 3 percent of men’s employment between 2019 and 2020.

    ILO

    1 in 4

    girls

    between ages of 15 and 19 are neither employed nor in education/training – compared to 1 in 10 boys.

    UNICEF

    70% of

    health workers

    are women, yet only 25% hold senior positions.

    WHO

    136-year

    wait

    is expected for women to enjoy equality with men. Before the pandemic, the figure was 99.

    UNCTAD

    At least 6 million

    women

    work unpaid and underpaid in core health systems roles.

    Women in GH