Women leaders rise in the COVID response for every woman, child and adolescent
Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, PMNCH Board Chair and Former Prime Minister of New Zealand joined with H.E. Ms Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia to host a high-level roundtable event organized by Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) alongside PMNCH and Women Deliver.
The event brought together women leaders from around the world bonded by an unwavering conviction that action to address the immediate and secondary threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s children’s and adolescents health must be taken to prevent a backslide on hard won gains.
In a recent op-ed published ahead of the event, Helen Clark together with co-authors Kersti Kaljulaid, Jorge Alcocer Varela, Mexico's Secretary of Health; and Graça Machel the founder of the Graça Machel Trust; tackled the alarming effects of the pandemic head on with a stark warning that “women and children will pay for this pandemic – unless we act!”
In her opening statement Kersti Kaljulaid said, “this virus has shown that we are not safe unless everyone is safe”; underscoring the prevailing mood of the women leaders for immediate and collective action; and highlighting the emergence of “the wider acceptance of the importance of global communal good” to fight the pandemic.
Helen Clark called for an acknowledgement of the “remarkable women leaders at the national level who have worked effectively to protect the citizens of their countries. Citing that “those who’ve succeeded have engaged their communities, acted on sound advice, and been transparent and effective communicators…models of leadership which all should strive to emulate.”
A virtual roundtable of 13 remarkable women leaders participated in the discussion with strong representation from PMNCH members and champions including former PMNCH Board Chair Michelle Bachelet, current PMNCH Private Sector Board Member Mary-Ann Etiebet of Merck for Mothers, and PMNCH NGO alternate Katja Iversen of Women Deliver. There was also a great cross sectoral representation including Gabriela Cuevas Barron, President of Inter Parliamentary Union, Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Minister of State to the President of the Republic of Senegal, Amy Pollack for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, Gerda Verburg, of Scaling Up Nutrition and many others.
During the roundtable, the women leaders highlighted the profound impact the pandemic has ravaged on health care systems, societies and economies. They delved into the unique needs and expertise of women, as first responders, health professionals, community volunteers, caregivers and more. They shared the specific actions they have taken to guarantee life-saving services for the most vulnerable and brought commitments to safeguard the fragile gains made over the past decade in the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.
Throughout the discussion, several key themes emerged including; the need for global solidarity to tackle the pandemic; the importance of gender equality, protecting the rights of women, children and adolescents and ensuring access to essential services such as mental health, SRHRH and immunization. Leaving no one behind was a common denominator in most of the interventions, with leaders calling for special attention to the most vulnerable such as minorities, indigenous women, women with disabilities and others likely to be even more at risk. The conversation also focused on the importance of data in reaching the hard to reach as well as ensuring that recent upsurges in the use of technology translated in an equitable way to prevent inequities in access to services. Finally, leaders underlined the importance of multisectoral action with a call for a commitment to work with partners including integrating local CSOs, the private sector, development partners, governments etc to strengthen health systems and improve access to universal healthcare.
Giving the final words in her closing remarks, Helen Clark issued a call to action saying, “let’s make our voice heard for a global response at scale. To those that do have the power to make a difference, keep shouting, keep advocating for women, children and adolescents.”
Watch the event here:
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