In a dynamic keynote session, a diverse group of stakeholders spotlighted women’s health as pivotal to global development. While celebrating progress in the past decades, speakers called for sustained investments in innovation, research and inclusive health systems to advance women’s health and rights.

30 years ago, 179 governments came together at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) to adopt a program which has shaped the approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) until today. Since then, the global community has celebrated numerous hard-won gains: There has been progress in reducing maternal deaths, more women can access modern contraceptives, and teenage pregnancies have plummeted. However, the pace of progress is slowing or has even retrogressed.

At this year’s World Health Summit, the keynote session “Investing in Women’s Health: Driving Global Development / Championing a Women-Centric Future in Commemoration of 30 Years of the ICPD Agenda”, hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), brought together multiple high-level speakers from governments, multilateral organizations, philanthropies and academia to discuss how to drive progress in women’s health and reduce inequities.

Equitable health care as a human right

In her opening remarks, the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze highlighted the progress the global community has achieved in the past 30 years. At the same time, she underlined the importance of continuing efforts to advance women’s health, their bodily autonomy and gender equality.

Women need access to health and modern family planning which empowers them and benefits society as a whole. This is precisely what my feminist development policy is about. – Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development

UNFPA’s Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem emphasized that investing in women’s health is a catalyst for change. She explained that comprehensive universal health coverage must include sexual and reproductive health, and must be grounded in both human rights and science. Against that backdrop, she inaugurated the WomenX Collective Berlin Hub, a new UNFPA-led initiative for catalyzing innovation, research, and investments in women’s health.

Invest in women’s health to drive global development, for better individual health and wellbeing – yes, for happier, healthier families and for more stable, sustainable economies and communities. – Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, UNFPA

Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made a passionate appeal to recognize the role of women’s health in global development:

Investing in women’s health is not merely a moral imperative. It is a strategic necessity for achieving sustainable development and fostering equity across the globe. – Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO

In her remarks, Tanzanian youth activist and innovator Gloria Charles stressed that reproductive health is the key to empower women and girls to pursue their education, build careers, and become the women they have the potential to be.

Reaching those furthest behind

As part of the subsequent panel discussion “Leave no one behind in women’s health: Women-centered health services and cross-sectoral collaboration”, Svenja Schulze shared the stage with the Malawian Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, USAID’s Assistant Administrator Dr. Atul Gawande, and Kenyan gynecologist Dr. Victoria Gamba. They shed light on the needs of those furthest behind, including women suffering from diseases and conditions neglected by the international community. They agreed that addressing health needs of all women and girls requires investments in women-centered health services, innovations, and cross-sectoral collaboration.

In this context, Svenja Schulze launched the BMZ initiative “From Neglect to Action: Invest in Women, Invest in Health”, which is targeting Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) in cooperation with the Malawian government. An estimated 56 million women and girls worldwide are affected by FGS. FGS leads to health problems such as infertility, miscarriages and an increased susceptibility to HIV. Yet, it is easily treatable. The initiative aims to integrate FGS treatment into sexual and reproductive health services and HIV programs to create synergies and make health care more efficient and holistic.

There is hope. When you have it, there’s treatment. It’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s nothing to hide. There is treatment and that is really going to help. – Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, Minister of Health, Malawi

Investing in women’s health

In the second panel discussion “Accelerating the global health agenda: Advancing innovation, research, and investments in women’s health”, Dr. Heyo Kroemer, CEO of the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Dr. Ru-fong Cheng, Director Women’s Health Innovations at the Gates Foundation, and Miles Kemplay, Executive Director at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), shared that women’s health remains significantly under-researched and that partnerships are crucial to overcome barriers.

We need to center the work around women. We need representation. We need voices of women heard. – Dr. Ru-fong Cheng, Director Women’s Health Innovations, Gates Foundation

Overall, the session has demonstrated that while many advances have been made, there are still significant gaps that persist in women’s health. A comprehensive approach, considering the full spectrum of women’s health needs and priorities, is necessary.

For those interested in viewing the full keynote session, you can find the video here: KEY 01 – Investing in Women’s Health: Driving Global Development – YouTube

December 2024