UN commits $25 billion for women and children’s health

United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon announced over $25 billion in initial commitments spanning five years to help end preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents.

United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon announced over $25 billion in initial commitments spanning five years to help end preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents, and ensure their health and well-being.

Many heads of state and government, international organisations, the private sector, foundations, civil society, research and academic institutions, and other key partners joined the event aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They aim to encourage all nations to focus on three dimensions of development, economic prosperity, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

“The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, which I am proud to launch, will help to build resilient and healthy societies. We have shown that our partnership can yield concrete results,” Ban Ki-moon said. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway said this strategy was the key to ending preventable deaths and achieving sustainable development goals.

The commitments announced are expected to grow significantly in the coming years, and include new policies and partnerships from 40 countries and over 100 international organisations, philanthropic foundations, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector. The amount pledged so far also includes an estimated $6 billion of in-kind contributions as well as commitments to the Global Financing Facility in support of Every Woman Every Child, launched during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, in Addis Ababa in July.

The result of extensive consultations, with contributions from more than 7,000 individuals and organisations, strategy applies to everyone, from humanitarian and crisis settings to schools and community health centres.