“With 70% of women making up the health workforce, why do women occupy so few positions in leadership?” - Dr. Tedros Adhanom set the stage for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Women’s Day event with a reminder of why the International Year of the Health and Care Worker is coming at a critical time.
Women in Global Health (WGH) is thrilled to have participated in a landmark event on International Women's Day (March 8) to officially announce a partnership with WHO, followed by a signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by WGH Executive Director Roopa Dhatt and Dr. Tedros Adhanom, establishing a year-long partnership to support work between WGH and WHO. With this opportunity, WGH Chapters around the world will be able to engage with WHO and action change in their countries and communities.
This partnership will also deepen the engagement with WHO on the Gender Equal Health and Care Workforce Initiative in partnership with the Government of France, to ensure that women are included equally in decision-making, promote investment in safe and decent work for the health and care workforce, and advocate for the recognition of unpaid care work.
The March 8 event touched on all of these areas, with speakers from WHO, including Michelle McIsaac - Economist for the Health Workforce Department at WHO - who moderated the event, and other global leaders such as Anita Bhatia, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, and Ambassador Delphine O, alongside WGH member speakers from our chapters in Chile, Malawi, India, and Francophone West Africa.
"Let’s not be lulled into a false sense of complacency because we have seen women in leadership positions over the last couple years, seen panels with women, and lip service being done towards gender parity,” Anita Bhatia stated during the event, as well as “This is a universal agenda, not just a women’s agenda."
The agreement signed this week is an exciting step towards re-building post-COVID-19 and paves the way for partners to help the WHO achieve their goals, as WGH and its chapters continue to mobilize the movement and catalyze discussions for policy change and action through this landmark partnership.
“This signing of the MOU is historic. It is now time to act together and make significant progress.” -Dr. Tedros Adhanom.
WHO News article: WHO signs MoU with Women in Global Health on International Women's Day