G7 Leaders Should Commit To Investing In Health, Nutrition, Especially For Women, Children

Thomson Reuters Foundation: For shared prosperity, G7 must invest in the health and rights of girls and women
Katja Iversen, president and CEO of Women Deliver

“…G7 leaders are expected to unveil a Roadmap for a Gender-Responsive Economic Environment at their annual summit starting today. If countries are truly committed to empowering women, they will prioritize comprehensive, multi-faceted investments. … The G7 countries can take immediate steps to shore up support for global maternal health, family planning, and girls’ education; they can also help women who have who have been displaced escaping violent conflict. Refugees, especially women, need quality health care, starting with maternal and reproductive health services. Only if countries simultaneously invest in all of these areas can we close the gender gap in economic empowerment and reap a massive return. … The evidence is irrefutable: to power progress for all, comprehensive investments in girls and women’s health, rights, and empowerment must be at the heart of every political agenda, not an afterthought. This is the mark of real gender equality champions — and we are watching to see whether G7 leaders pass the test” (5/26).

Inter Press Service: Why the G7 Must Fund Health & Nutrition
Grace Virtue, senior communications adviser for ACTION global health partnership

“…Since its establishment in 2002 by G7 countries, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has saved more than 20 million lives through its support for AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria programs in countries and communities most in need. … The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which all G7 countries signed on to, called for the eradication of HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria by 2030. To achieve this, G7 leaders must continue to invest in the Global Fund. Concerned civil society groups like ACTION global health partnership … are hoping they will. [Another] major ask of G7 leadership include[s] accelerated efforts to eradicate malnutrition and ensure proper nutrients for every child, particularly in the first 1,000 days of life. Coupled with the inability to access proper health care by the world’s poorest people, malnutrition is one of the greatest barrier to human development and global prosperity. It is obvious that there are many complicated issues facing the G7 leaders, but, investing in health and nutrition should not be controversial — it should be fundamental” (5/25).

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