By Khadija Abdulwahab Katagum
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the first members of the High-level Advisory Group for Every Woman Every Child. The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health is delighted that our Board Chair, Mrs Graça Machel, is one of the initial members named and will work together with this group to provide leadership and inspire ambitious action for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health during the transition from the MDGs to the universal Sustainable Development Goals agenda.
“Women, children and adolescents are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “Continued commitment, leadership and action will be critical to achieving our goal of ending all preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents by 2030 and enabling them to reach their full potential.”
The High-level Advisory Group will advise the Secretary-General, guide the transition of the Every Woman Every Child movement and the newly launched Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health and will link to other advocacy or advisory groups to encourage collaboration and integration with relevant areas of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Group will be co-chaired by H.E. Ms. Michelle Bachelet Jeria, President of the Republic of Chile and H.E. Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and two alternate co-chairs, H.E. Ms. Tarja Halonen, former President of the Republic of Finland and H.E. Mr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
The members were drawn to include global representation from government, the business community, philanthropists, young people, civil society and multilateral system and reflect the diversity of the Every Woman Every Child movement. The Members so far include:
- H.E Ms. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie of Canada
- H.E Mr. Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare of the Republic of India
- H.E Mr. Børge Brende, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway
- H.E Dr. Awa Marie Coll Seck, Minister of Health of the Republic of Senegal
- Mrs. Graça Machel, Board Chair, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Founder, Graça Machel Trust
- H.E Dame Meg Taylor, DBE, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum
- Mr. Robert Collymore, CEO Safaricom
- Ms. Jovana Rios Cisnero, Vice President of APLAFA’s Board (Panamanian Family Planning Association), Member of the Board of Directors of IPPF Western Hemisphere
- Mr. Kevin Jenkins, CEO World Vision
- H.E Mr. Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
- H.E Mr. Saber Chowdhury MP, President, Inter Parliamentary Union
Head of Agency Chair of the H6 (formerly known as H4+) – The H6 is a joint effort by UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNICEF, UN Women, WHO and the World Bank, to address reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health. The H6 serves as the lead technical partners for the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent Health.
The initial members announced today will be expanded with additional key leaders to make up to 15 members. With initial appointments lasting for one year, the group will meet twice yearly to report on progress, key challenges and provide recommendations on issues such as financing, accountability and implementation of Every Woman Every Child and the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.
The Global Strategy provides a roadmap to end all preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents, and ensure that they not only survive, but also thrive and transform the world. With $25billion in initial commitments from over 120 organizations and over 40 governments, a fully implemented Global Strategy will transform societies so that women, children and adolescents everywhere not only have access to health but can attain their full potential as adults.
The Strategy applies to everyone, everywhere—from humanitarian and crisis settings to schools and community health centers. It presents an accountability framework and mechanism that will align and help track progress of the related Sustainable Development Goals, highlights the benefits of innovation while stressing that countries are in the driver’s seat and young people at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals.
About Every Woman Every Child
Every Woman Every Child is an unprecedented global movement that mobilizes and intensifies international and national action by governments, the UN, multilaterals, the private sector and civil society to address the major health challenges facing women, children and adolescents. The movement puts into action the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health which presents a roadmap on ending all preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents within a generation and ensuring their well-being. For more information, go to: everywomaneverychild.org
1st published in PMNCH
