Devex: Opinion: Why the SDGs’ defining decade must focus on accountability for those left behind
Joy Phumaphi, co-chair of the U.N. secretary-general’s Independent Accountability Panel for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent, and executive secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, and colleagues

“…Healthy women, children, and adolescents are at the heart of prosperous societies. Yet in just a matter of months, COVID-19 has crippled economies and health systems globally, leaving the health of women, children, and adolescents even more at risk than before. … With less than a decade to go [to achieve the 2030 global goals], we find ourselves in a position where we must collectively fight harder than ever before to ensure that the right to health for those furthest left behind is not lost or compromised. … Strategies, action plans, and goals are important, but without accountability at the core, real change cannot occur. … The next 10 years will be crucial for us to invest in stronger accountability frameworks to drive a generation of change for the health of women, children, and adolescents. The pandemic has already left a devastating impact, but we cannot allow it to override our commitments to those furthest left behind. … We call for urgent action to deliver on global commitments with a strengthened, human rights-based approach. We must hold ourselves, and each other, accountable in order to give women, children, and adolescents an equal chance to survive, thrive, and transform without exemption…” (9/25).