Choice, Voice and Autonomy: Women’s political leadership for health in a fragile world

Women’s political leadership is critical for achieving the SDGs, including improving gender equity and SRHR in UHC outcomes.

Join us for a virtual discussion tackling these issues on the sidelines of the UN High-level Political Forum.

There is no other way to put it: Trends in new policies on healthcare for women and adolescent girls are regressive. This already underfunded area is being further deprioritized in the budgets of donors and governments.  At a time when compounding, ongoing crises are deeply affecting the progress made toward women’s empowerment and the health of communities, another, quieter war is waging against fundamental rights around the world. Women and girls are being cut off from education, work and access to essential primary health care services.

These reversals are happening just as the world saw the number of girls in school increasing, and the number of child marriages and deaths decreasing across the board. Response to the global pandemic brought into focus how fragile these gains were, and how women are positioned at the frontlines of the home and their communities. And yet, women are too often left out of the decision making and absent from leadership roles.

Event speakers will reflect on how women leaders make a difference on social progress via gender equity in the context of health and education, answering the questions of:

• Why does women’s political leadership matter?
• How can we encourage and support women’s political leadership?
• How do strategic partnerships for health and gender benefit from women’s political leadership?
• What role can men play in relation to supporting women’s political leadership?
• How far have we come since the 2021 High Level Political Forum?

The event is hosted by Estonia and co-organized by PMNCH, International Health Partnership for UHC2030 (UHC2030), Women in Global Health and Global Health 50/50.