PMNCH NGO Partners Unite at the UN Civil Society Conference

In a dynamic and collaborative gathering, over 20 PMNCH NGO partners from Amref Health Africa, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Physicians Across Continents, RIGHTS ASIA, Save the Children, SRHR Africa Trust, Women Deliver, Women in Global Health and others, convened in Nairobi during the UN Civil Society Conference. The session, led by Kathleen Sherwin, Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer of Plan International and PMNCH Board Member, provided an opportunity for partners to strategize on advocacy efforts ahead of the Summit of the Future. 

During the meeting, partners shared their engagement plans for the Nairobi Conference and the Summit of the Future by drawing on key priority messaging guided by the PMNCH resource, Key Asks to Member States for political outcome documents. Partners underscored the importance of ensuring data disaggregation to address disparities and highlighted the need to focus on intersectionality, considering multiple overlapping social identities, and increased domestic budget allocation for health and gender sectors. Localization emerged as a key priority, ensuring that local contexts and needs are prioritized in global policies. The meaningful engagement of adolescents and young people (MAYE) was deemed a critical need, calling for their active participation throughout the decision-making processes. 

Participants strongly emphasized safeguarding comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) commitments within the Pact for the Future by having robust strategies developed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and facilitating Member States consensus building. The importance of ensuring civic space and civil society organization (CSO) engagement in the Pact for the Future was highlighted, along with the need for clear financial commitments and accountability mechanisms for all commitments was reiterated. 

Key recommendations emerging from the meeting included considerations for the creation of a health impact coalition, focusing on gender inclusion, and ensuring alignment on marginalized populations, including adolescents, in the Pact for the Future. The meeting was also a moment to reiterate the collective commitment of PMNCH partners to ensure the health and well-being of women, children, adolescents, and youth are prioritized in the negotiations. Moving ahead, these insights and strategies will play a vital role in shaping PMNCH's collaborative advocacy and influencing efforts ahead of the Summit of the Future and beyond.