Beyond Counting the Number of Women

21 February 2025

Towards Meaningful Inclusion in WHO Executive Board Beyond Counting the Number of Women

A Women in Global Health delegation participated in the WHO 156th session of the Executive Board which took place on 3–11 February 2025, thanks to our status as a non-state actor in official relations with WHO. The Executive Board is composed of 34 technically qualified members elected for three-year terms. The main functions of the Board are to implement the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly, and to advise and generally facilitate its work. Underrepresentation of women in leading states’ delegation remains an issue for this year’s WHO Executive Board Meeting. While we acknowledge the presence of women delegates, the fact that only 26.4% of delegation heads are women underscores a significant gap that needs urgent attention.

Effective global health policies require diverse perspectives and experiences. Women’s leadership is not just about representation; it’s about ensuring that the unique health needs and challenges faced by women and girls worldwide are fully understood and addressed. Women leaders bring invaluable insights, often rooted in lived experience, that are crucial for developing comprehensive and inclusive health solutions. Their absence at decision-making tables perpetuates gender biases in policy and programming, ultimately hindering progress towards health equity for all. Only a few states such as Palestine and South Africa have mentioned in their statements the gendered impact of current health challenges such as mental health and inclusive health coverage. 

We congratulate WHO on drafting a Global Health Strategy for Women, Children and adolescents’ to bring attention to the gendered impact of health issues. We encourage WHO member states to ensure a gender transformative approach is adopted to support the implementation of this strategy that addresses the root causes of gender inequalities in reproductive and sexual health, including adopting an advocacy campaign to support the implementation of this strategy, a gender and inclusion audit of other public policies to address gender gaps that impact access to health care for women, children, and adolescents. In addition, prioritize women leadership when implementing this strategy as it is essential to ensure meaningful integration of women’s children’s and adolescents’ needs.

While counting the number of women present is a starting point, we recognise it’s also insufficient. We must focus on creating an environment where women’s voices are genuinely heard and valued. This includes:

• Gender-Responsive Language: Policies and resolutions must be crafted using language that acknowledges and addresses the specific needs of different genders. Gender-neutral language often masks underlying inequalities and can lead to unintended consequences.
• Accountability Mechanisms: Clear mechanisms are needed to identify and address gender-blind statements or policies. This requires training for all delegates on gender analysis and the establishment of procedures for raising concerns and ensuring corrective action.
• Centering Gender Equality: Gender equality must be at the core of health policy-making, not an afterthought. This means integrating gender considerations into all aspects of policy development, implementation, and evaluation. It also requires dedicated resources and capacity building to support gender analysis and mainstreaming.

Achieving gender equality in global health leadership is not just a matter of fairness; it’s essential for achieving health for all. The underrepresentation of women at this year’s Executive Board Meeting points to a need  to urgently leverage the full potential of diverse leadership. We urge the WHO and member states to take concrete steps to address this gap and ensure that women’s voices are at the center of global health decision-making.