.png?sfvrsn=6d0e27cd_1 "Partnership for Change - v7 (1)")
The G7 Leaders' Summit, held from June 13-15, 2024, in Apulia, Italy, reaffirmed a steadfast commitment to promoting the health and wellbeing of women, children, and adolescents globally. Leaders from G7 countries, joined by representatives from key partner nations, addressed pressing global challenges, underscoring the importance of gender equality and the protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
The G7 leaders expressed strong concerns over the global rollback of women’s and girls’ rights, particularly SRHR. Acknowledging the disproportionate impact of conflicts and crises on women and girls, the leaders emphasized the urgent need to protect these rights in all their diversity. The communique stressed the importance of including women and girls in the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts, recognizing their crucial role in achieving sustainable peace and addressing the root causes of conflicts.
The Summit also highlighted the vulnerability of women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples to climate change-related disasters. The G7 leaders committed to empowering these groups by ensuring their active participation in efforts to combat environmental degradation. This includes integrating their perspectives into climate policies and fostering resilience in the face of environmental challenges.
Reaffirming their global leadership on gender equality, the G7 leaders called for enhanced multilateral cooperation to promote and protect the rights of women and girls, including LGBTQIA+ persons. They stressed the importance of promoting comprehensive SRHR for all, and committed to advancing these issues at major international forums, including the United Nations General Assembly and the Summit of the Future. The G7 communique did not reference abortion and the critical access to SRHR unlike previous G7 Leaders communiques, but the Leaders did re-iterate their commitment to the Hiroshima communique which included this important aspect of SRHR. The G7 leaders recognized the essential role of SRHR in achieving gender equality, by ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health services, particularly in humanitarian settings, and addressing the broader impacts of crises on women and girls.
In a decisive move to strengthen global health systems, the G7 leaders committed to advancing universal health coverage (UHC) and investing in resilient health systems. “We commit to strengthening primary health care and advancing UHC, with a particular focus on maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health,” the communique stated. “Investing in resilient health systems and a skilled health workforce is essential to addressing the health needs of those in vulnerable circumstances.” This commitment is seen as crucial to regaining lost ground and ensuring equitable access to essential health services for all.
PMNCH's Response and Commitment
PMNCH welcomes the G7’s renewed commitment to advancing the health and wellbeing of women, children, and adolescents. The PMNCH Strategy for 2021-2025 aligns closely with the G7’s objectives, focusing on improving SRHR and addressing gender-based violence in the context of global conflicts and crises.
Over the past months, PMNCH has supported intensive advocacy efforts to ensure that the rights of women, children, and adolescents are upheld in the G7's priorities. Through convening partners, including civil society, donors, and various partnerships, PMNCH has facilitated intelligence gathering and explored collaborative opportunities to influence the G7 agenda.
In response to recent debates, PMNCH acknowledges the removal of the explicit reference to "abortion" from the communique. While the G7 reiterated their commitments from the Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué to universal access to adequate, affordable, and quality health services for women, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, which naturally encompass safe abortion, PMNCH emphasizes that explicitly mentioning the right to safe abortion is fundamental to guaranteeing women's health. This explicit mention is crucial to addressing the broader SRHR agenda effectively.
PMNCH will continue to advocate for robust policies and increased investment in comprehensive SRHR, UHC, and primary health care as the G7 now looks ahead to the G7 Development Ministerial and Health Ministerials scheduled for later in 2024. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister and 2025 G7 President, announced the 2025 G7 will take place in Kananaskis, Alberta. Given Canada’s steadfast support for maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and well-being as well as SRHR and its feminist international assistance policy, there is strong possibility of greater progress on PMNCH’s priorities in 2025.
As the 2024 G7 Leader’s Summit concludes, PMNCH urges its partners to support governments in fulfilling these commitments in their entirety, emphasizing the need for concrete actions and sustained financial support to address the health challenges facing women, children, and adolescents worldwide.