The High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the main United Nations platform on sustainable development and it has a central role in the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level. The theme for this year’s HLPF is “Building back better from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and one of the SDG goals that will be reviewed in depth is Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality.
Against the backdrop of this forum, Women in Global Health and the Government of France hosted a high-level 90 min virtual panel discussion on 13 July 2022.
Given the exceptional role played by women health workers in the pandemic, the review of SDG 5 on Gender Equality should consider the role of women in the health workforce and the critical need for the women’s voices to be heard in decision making. We will invite prominent women global health leaders across the globe to discuss lessons learned from their leadership experience including during the COVID 19 pandemic and get their insights on the systemic barriers and opportunities in ensuring gender parity in global health leadership. We will also introduce new commitments made to the Gender Equal Health and Care Workforce Initiative (GEHCWI) to advance women’s status in global health.