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More than 50 leaders from 15 Latin American countries, all members of the Convergence for Action, the Early Childhood Leaders’ Network, came together on 29 June 2021 to identify collaboration opportunities with PMNCH and respond to its Call to Action on COVID-19. Leaders were invited to join the growing number of countries who have expressed support for focused action that is needed urgently to combat the devastating social and economic effects of COVID-19 on women, children, and adolescents through targeted investments in pro-equity programmes and policies.
The Convergence for Action Network brings together more than 100 stakeholders working on early childhood development, including former Heads of State, several mayors of the region's main cities, leaders from non-governmental organizations and specialists in the field. Their goal is to advocate for and support the scale-up of innovative and effective initiatives for the holistic and integral development of children in their early years by working with policy makers, academics, communities and civil society organizations.
Daniela Salazar, PMNCH’s focal point for Latin America based with Horizonte Ciudadano Foundation shared the seven-point Call to Action on COVID-19, backed by PMNCH’s 1,100 plus-member platform that seeks to protect and prioritize the rights and health of women, children, and adolescents during the COVID-19 response and recovery, and proposed opportunities for engagement with PMNCH in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The presentation also included the sharing of experiences of women, children and adolescents across 43 countries including Latin America during the COVID-19 crisis, in their own words as captured in the report, Finding Hope.
Out of the 17 countries and bilateral donors that have announced commitments aligned with the Call to Action on COVID-19, three of them are from Latin America: Mexico, Panama and Paraguay. The commitments respond to the 7-asks of the Call to Action, aiming to ensure equity during the response and recovery from the pandemic, through investment plans, policy measures to address critical health system gaps and leadership on multi-sectoral action to improve the health, well-being and rights of women, children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
In the case of Paraguay, the commitment mobilization efforts have been led by one of the Paraguayan Leaders of the Convergence Network for Action, Kattya González, Congresswoman and President of the Parliamentary Front for the Rights of Children and Adolescents. The Parliamentary Front promoted a legislative initiative in the form of an approved declaration urging the Executive Power and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make a public commitment on behalf of the Government of Paraguay regarding the prioritization of women, girls, boys and adolescents in the national recovery and response plans for COVID-19.
With the support of Juana Herrera, a Panamanian Leader of the Convergence for Action Network, the Ministry of Health of Panama also welcomed the PMNCH Call to Action on COVID-19. The Government of Panama committed to focus on equity and primary care approaches to protect and improve the health of women, children and adolescents, and work collectively with civil society, the United Nations agencies, health professionals, adolescents and youth, donor organizations, and the private sector to provide quality, respectful and dignified care, and mechanisms for community engagement and redress.
The Convergence for Action Network and PMNCH are working in the Latin American and Caribbean region to encourage more countries to join this important initiative and accelerate actions to recover from the pandemic with equity. It is expected that more countries will join this effort in the upcoming months. Learn more at www.covidcalltoaction.org.