Advancing women's leadership, gender equity is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals - PMNCH

Halfway to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is at a point where, instead of working to close the equity gap between the sexes, decades of progress are being reversed, while women's human rights and health are threatened.

These reversals are exacerbated by COVID-19 and other worsening crises, such as the growing incidence of conflict and the climate emergency. They come at a time when the world was just beginning to see decades of hard-earned work and effort pay off, with more girls in school, falling maternal mortality rates and fewer marriages and births. child deaths.

The UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), currently underway in New York, is a critical opportunity to reflect on progress to date and agree on a way forward to address significant risks we face halfway through.

This Wednesday, July 13, 2022, an official side event at the HLPF, Choice, Voice and Empowerment: Women's Political Leadership for Health in a Fragile World, was co-hosted by PMNCH, Women in Global Health, UHC2030 and Global Health 50/50, and hosted by the Government of Estonia. The Virtual Leadership Dialogue brought together global policy makers, government officials, business leaders, healthcare providers, youth and community representatives from around the world. They reflected on the importance of women leaders in making a difference on social progress through gender equity in the context of health and education to implement the sustainable development agenda.

"At a time when deepening crises are rolling back progress in women's empowerment and community health, war is also being waged on the human rights of women and girls," Helen Clark , chair of the PMNCH board and former prime minister of New Zealand, said. “We need urgent and transformative action to reverse these worrying trends. Women must have both a seat and a voice at decision-making tables. To realize the vision of leaving no one behind in development, societies must go beyond lip service and implement rights-based and gender-sensitive approaches to achieve equality, resilience and sustainability. »

Summit participants focused on solutions to increase the representation and participation of women in leadership roles and reduce gender gaps in all aspects of society, everywhere. Promoting multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral partnerships is the key to these challenges and the only way forward to address such a pervasive problem as gender equality.

Women and girls make up half of the world's population, yet their full potential remains largely untapped. They are too often victims of sexual or physical abuse and exploitation, threatened by harmful traditions and practices, deprived of the right to education and health care, victims of discrimination in employment and often deterred from participating. political processes, including voting. Globally, 143 countries legally guarantee equality between men and women. But in practice, gender inequalities remain in most parts of the world and, in many cases, are receding even further.

The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn its 1973 abortion ruling in Roe vs. Wade provides one of the most stark examples to date of this disturbing trend. Its effects will resonate far beyond US borders, including in West Africa. This can lend false legitimacy to those who seek to restrict women's rights and can encourage some other countries to roll back abortion law or provisions, putting the health of women and girls at risk.

Abortion issues in Africa are as contentious as in the United States. The reversal of Roe v Wade could prompt African lawmakers to update some of the draconian laws that most African women are exposed to. The legality of abortion in sub-Saharan Africa is part of a continuum going from the prohibition to the authorization without restriction as to the reason. Restrictive laws prohibit abortion altogether or limit it to cases where a woman's life or health is threatened. In 2019, 92% of women of reproductive age in the region lived in the 43 countries with highly or moderately restrictive laws. Data from 2019 shows that 2.4 million women in West Africa have unsafe abortions and 14 million do not receive treatment for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. Among women who want to avoid pregnancy, unmet need is higher for adolescent girls aged 15-19 than for all women aged 15-49 (64% vs. 56%).

The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade could have far-reaching implications for U.S. sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) funding and policies in the region. Experts predict a drop in US bilateral and multilateral funding for family planning, sexuality...