.png?sfvrsn=6d0e27cd_1 "Partnership for Change - v7 (1)")
Dear PMNCH Partners,
As we begin this pivotal year, we are reminded that only five years remain to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And while we have all been working to jumpstart movement to counter stalling progress over the past years, we continue to be faced with new challenges every day. Recent geopolitical shifts and foreign aid decisions are having catastrophic consequences for health and development financing and pose serious challenges to our collective efforts to advance the health and rights of women, children, and adolescents. Compounding this, the reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule in the United States threatens to derail the hard-won gains in sexual and reproductive health and rights by not only reducing financing but by creating a policy and legislative environment that promises to decrease access to essential lifesaving interventions. Now, more than ever, our partnership work is essential.
PMNCH has been at the forefront of responding to these challenges. We have convened an SRHR coalition to discuss actions to address funding cuts and policy pushbacks and issued a statement against the global gag rule. We have also engaged with the private sector on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to strengthen their role in supporting women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health (WCAH). Additionally, we have presented WCAH data tools to national experts preparing Voluntary National Reviews for the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and engaged with global health leaders at the African Union Summit to strategize how the Global Leaders Network (GLN) can be leveraged to champion WCAH in the face of political resistance.
At the same time, we have been strengthening our own partnership. With a newly appointed Board, PMNCH has begun reflecting on its next strategic direction, key concepts of which were discussed in recent town hall meetings attended by over 100 members. Our sincere thanks to our previous board for their guidance and stewardship. This year marks the 20th anniversary of PMNCH, and we would like to thank our previous board and members for leading us on this journey.
We have developed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy to ensure our commitment to meaningful and inclusive engagement, both within our membership and institutionally.
In the weeks ahead, PMNCH will actively support WHO’s 2025 World Health Day Campaign to end maternal and newborn mortality. We invite you to join our coordinated communications efforts—please share the names of your communications focal points so we can amplify our collective voice. We are also preparing for our next Ready, Set, Implement Policy Dialogue, focusing on climate change and its impact on health and continuing our advocacy to shape G20 health discussions.
The stakes are high, but so is our resolve. By coming together as a partnership, we can push back against the challenges before us and accelerate progress toward the SDGs. Let’s make 2025 a year of action, impact, and unwavering commitment to WCAH.
In solidarity,
Rajat Khosla,
Executive Director, PMNCH