Message from Rajat Khosla, PMNCH Executive Director - May 2026

Dear PMNCH Members and Partners, 

May has been an exceptionally active and important month for PMNCH and our global movement for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being (WCAH). Across advocacy, financing, governance and partner mobilization, our community has continued to demonstrate the power of collective action during a moment of profound transition for global health. 

We came into the month of May from Women Deliver and the World Health Summit Regional Meeting in Nairobi.  In the former we convened a session with the Global South Coalition on SRHR entitled Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Development Justice: Bridging the Divide.  We also armed partners with key messages for their use in advocacy.   

Meanwhile in Nairobi, we saw the launch of the Africa CDC’s High Level Ministerial Committee on the Global Health Architecture Reform where Ministers called for a centering of WCAH in the reform conversations.  The GLN co-led a track on WCAH – placing these issues among continental priorities, PMNCH also convened a multi-stakeholder roundtable on innovation pathways for WCAH, exploring how proven solutions can move beyond pilots and reach sustainable scale.  The GLN also organized the sixth and final webinar in the Domestic Resource Mobilization series – focused on Leveraging Debt Swaps to Finance WCAH.   

The first week of May saw the launch of the FactCheck initiative during our eighth Ready, Set, Implement! (RSI 8) webinar: Truth Matters: Countering Mis- and Disinformation to Protect Women, Children and Adolescents. The session explored the growing threat posed by misinformation and disinformation to health outcomes, trust in institutions and rights-based advocacy.  

This month also marked the launch of the PMNCH Financing Working Group, which brought together partners from across constituencies to help shape and strengthen the PMNCH financing campaign which is due to be launched shortly.  

PMNCH convened its Board meeting, preceded by a series of Townhall Conversations that enabled PMNCH members and Board members alike to engage openly on key strategic priorities and the future direction of our work. These exchanges reflected the collaborative and inclusive spirit that defines PMNCH and reinforced the importance of partner-driven leadership at this critical time. 

We were also delighted to announce the appointment of Her Excellency Monica Geingos as the new PMNCH Board Chair. Her longstanding commitment to equity, youth engagement and women’s leadership brings tremendous strength to the Partnership as we enter a new phase of advocacy and action. 

Ahead of the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly, PMNCH and the GLN convened a strategic briefing for Ambassadors to align on advocacy priorities and key messages. Throughout WHA79, PMNCH partners used these messages to advocate strongly for centralizing WCAH within ongoing global health architecture reform discussions and across a wide range of agenda items. 

This advocacy effort was reinforced by a timely article by Helen Clark and myself in Think Global Health, calling for women, children and adolescents to remain central to global health reform processes. To further support coordinated advocacy, PMNCH also released a practical FAQ resource on engaging in global health architecture reform discussions.  

During WHA79, PMNCH also organized two Lives in the Balance events, drawing attention to the consequences of shrinking aid and multiplying crises on women, children and adolescents worldwide. The discussions underscored the need for solidarity, accountability and sustained political leadership during this period of global uncertainty. 

Finally, we were inspired by a compelling opinion piece jointly authored by the President of South Africa and Prime Minister of Spain, announcing the joining of Spain to the GLN and reinforcing the shared global responsibility to prioritize women, children and adolescents in this moment. 

As we move forward, the message from our community is clear: despite growing challenges, the commitment of PMNCH partners remains strong, united and action-oriented.  

Thank you for your continued partnership, leadership and advocacy. 

With appreciation,