A very good afternoon or good evening to all; it is a pleasure to address you today to mark the one-year anniversary of this commendable initiative.
Achieving equal representation of women in decision-making roles in health – as other fields – is required for us to attain the gender-equal Region and world to which we are committed.
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world – a truth that is central to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, on gender, but which nevertheless permeates all other SDGs, including SDG 3, on health.
Growing evidence highlights the strengths that women leaders bring to the organizations, communities and countries they lead, which are also reflected in the many public health achievements that women have led and contributed to – something I have observed over my own long career.
When women lead, organizations change.
Women leaders tend to create more democratic, participatory and collegial work cultures; inspire collaborative and cooperative approaches; promote the sharing of credit for achievements; and provide alternative role models.
And yet despite women accounting for around 70% of the global health workforce, they do not occupy a corresponding share of leadership roles.
Strengthening women’s leadership is especially needed amid the COVID-19 crisis.
We know that men are dying at greater rates from COVID-19. But at the same time, a growing body of evidence suggests that women and girls are bearing the brunt of the pandemic in ways that could jeopardize decades of progress on gender equality.
This is why WHO has highlighted the critical importance of integrating gender into all aspects of the COVID-19 response, with a focus on six key asks for health leaders and policy-makers to adopt and implement.
First, when recording cases of COVID-19, collect both age and sex-disaggregated data.
Such data will help inform the development of gender-sensitive policies, which are critical to advancing overall health equity – the focus of this year’s World Health Day.
Second, prevent and respond to domestic violence.
Throughout the pandemic, women and girls have experienced increased violence at home, especially during “lockdowns”.
WHO continues to urge all health sector stakeholders in the Region to take a leading role in addressing gender-based violence, including by maintaining and adequately resourcing appropriate health and social support services.
Third, we call on governments to promote access to sexual and reproductive health services.
Throughout the response, WHO has provided critical support to all countries in the Region to maintain essential health services, with specific emphasis on sexual and reproductive health.
Since 2014, accelerating reductions in maternal mortality has been a Flagship Priority, and we are very much determined to sustain and accelerate the world-beating gains we have made.
Fourth, we urge health leaders to protect and support all health workers, approximately 70% of whom are women.
WHO continues to support Member States to protect health workers from infection, to prioritize them in vaccination, and to prevent discrimination, stress and burnout.
Fifth, we ask leaders to provide equitable access to testing and treatment for COVID-19.
The biggest challenge countries are currently tackling is to roll-out COVID-19 vaccination as equitably and efficiently as possible.
To succeed, they must engage trusted women-led organizations that can promote community buy-in and help identify and overcome gender-related barriers to vaccine access.
Sixth, all duty-bearers must ensure that response strategies are both inclusive and non-discriminatory.
This means combating the stigma associated with COVID-19 and ensuring respectful care for all. It also means applying proportionate social and public health measures that reflect local epidemiology.
We must grasp the opportunity to drive real change and build a fairer, healthier “new normal” that outlives the current crisis.
And we have much to build on.
Although countries in South Asia started with a low base, they have registered the fastest gains in closing the gender gap in the last decade – especially in health and survival.
Across the Region, women play a vital role in health from the community level up.
In India, ASHAs and women’s self-help groups foster community engagement and mobilize the demand for health.
In Bangladesh, women actively contribute to the work of community health clinics.
Women have had a significant impact on pandemic response interventions in Indonesia, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
Two of the Region’s 11 health ministers are women – by no means a new development.
But women in the Region continue to face challenges that can prevent them from rising to the top.
Insecure and unprotected livelihoods; the gender skills, wage and poverty gaps; women’s double work burdens; and the insecurity, violence and societal discrimination that pervade the lives of women and girls – these are all impediments to women’s leadership in global health.
And they all stem from inequality.
In the region I head, women’s empowerment continues to be a priority within WHO and in the strategic approach we take to health issues.
You can be certain of our ongoing leadership, advocacy and support, both in the Region and globally.
I congratulate Women in Global Health India on its one-year anniversary and appreciate the opportunity to be part of your celebrations.
WHO looks forward to continuing to collaborate with all partners and stakeholders to create a gender-equal Region and world that achieves sustainable, inclusive and equitable health and development for all.
Thank you.