Compounding crises reversing progress made on women empowerment: Ex-New Zealand PM Helen Clark

New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark on Thursday rued that a war is being waged against rights of women and girls at a time when compounding crises are reversing the progress made on their empowerment. She was speaking virtually at a side event to the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF), titled 'Choice, Voice and Autonomy: Women's political leadership for health in a fragile world'. The United Nations High-level Political Forum, currently underway in New York, is a critical opportunity to reflect on the progress made to date and agree on a way forward to tackle the significant risks being faced at this midway juncture.

The side event was jointly organised by PMNCH, Women in Global Health, UHC2030 and Global Health 50/50, and hosted by the Government of Estonia on Wednesday.

The virtual leadership dialogue brought together global policy makers, government representatives, business leaders, healthcare providers, youth and community representatives from around the world.

“At a time when compounding crises are rolling back previous progress made on women's empowerment and the health of communities, war is also being waged against the fundamental rights of women and girls,” Clark, who was also the PMNCH Board Chair, said.

“We need urgent and transformative action to reverse these worrying trends. Women must have both seats and voice at decision-making tables. To achieve the vision of leaving no one behind in development, societies must move beyond lip service to implementation of rights-based and gender sensitive approaches to achieving equality, resilience and sustainability,” she added.

The participants in the summit also discussed solutions to increase women's representation and participation in leadership roles and reduce gender gaps across every aspect of society, everywhere.

Global Health 50/50 co-directors Professor Sarah Hawkes and Professor Kent Buse opined that the collective failure to deliver equality in global health is inextricably linked to the failure to ensure equality in voice, representation and inclusion at the top.

"We urgently need feminist leaders, especially women and other under-represented groups, to push for health rights, equity and gender equality. But promises and commitments are not enough. We also need robust systems of accountability to ensure that promises made are promises kept - something we at Global Health 50/50 aim to deliver," they said.

The speakers were of the view that attitudes towards gender roles deteriorated further amid COVID-19 as outdated social norms and stereotypes continue to hold society back from reaching gender equality.

Expressing worry over the fact that millions of dollars for programmes providing health services to women, girls and adolescents have been cut due to competing priorities and demands amid the pandemic, the panel was of the view that sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services are too often made 'optional' rather than essential services, leading to increase in death of and harm to women.

Emerging data estimates that for each COVID-19 death, more than two women and children have lost their lives because of disruptions to health systems since the start of the pandemic.

“Health is a right, not a privilege. It requires political will and leadership. But women need to have an equal say in the health systems that impact their health and well-being. Yet they only have 25 per cent of the seats in parliaments and hold 25 per cent of the senior roles in global health. The rules must be changed to advance from this unequal reality,” said Gabriela Cuevas Barron, co-chair, UHC2030 Steering Committee.

H E Kersti Kaljulaid, former president of Estonia, the UN Secretary-General's Global Advocate for Every Woman Every Child said the participation of women is essential to ensure the progress of the society.

"When we acknowledge the contributions of women; when we pay women fairly for the work that they do; when we show the value and inherent necessity of women for society. The solutions are complex, but let us commit to a gender lens that includes the participation of women – especially young women and girls – working in partnerships and communities, governments, corporations and NGOs towards our common goals. This is the way to see our true goals. This is the way to make progress," she said.

On Wednesday, the World Economic Forum reported that a cost-of-living crisis sparked in part by higher fuel and food prices is expected to hit women the hardest, while pointing to a widening gender gap in the global labour force. The Geneva-based think tank and event organiser, best known for hosting an annual gathering of elites in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos, said a hoped-for recovery from a ballooning gender gap has not materialised as expected as the COVID-19 crisis has eased.

The forum estimates that it will now take 132 years - down from 136 - for the world to reach gender parity, which the organisation defines around four main factors -- salaries and economic opportunity, education, health, and political empowerment.

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