Women in Global Health advocates for inclusive health governance at WHO Regional Committee for Europe

7 November 2024

Women in Global Health (WGH) joined actors from across the region at the 74th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (October 29-31) in Copenhagen, Denmark, advocating for a more inclusive, transparent, and equitable health governance framework. As signatories of the Joint Statement on the NSA Engagement Plan, WGH reinforced our commitment to strengthening participatory governance in health—an approach that is crucial for addressing widening health disparities and ensuring resilient health systems.

Representatives from WGH Denmark joined the discussions on governance and leadership, held on October 30, to highlight the critical importance of gender diversity in health policy-making. WGH’s signature on this Joint Statement reflects our organizational dedication to creating systems that prioritize patient rights, social participation, and the inclusion of underrepresented voices—especially women, girls, and other marginalized communities who are disproportionately impacted by health inequities.

The NSA Engagement Plan, introduced at this Regional Committee session, outlines a roadmap for embedding civil society perspectives into health policies. The plan, informed by Non-State Actors’ input, is a step toward fostering meaningful collaboration between WHO Europe and civil society, grounded in the values established by the World Health Assembly’s recent resolution on social participation. WGH strongly supports this Plan as a vehicle for making diverse voices—those of patients, health workers, caregivers, and advocates—central to health policy and governance.

We join fellow signatories in urging WHO Europe and Member States to dedicate sustainable funding for civil society organizations, ensuring that their contributions are not only welcomed but also supported over the long term. This is essential to creating resilient health systems that address the unique needs of women and other marginalized groups.

WGH is committed to working alongside WHO and our partners to make this Engagement Plan an actionable framework that drives equity and inclusivity in health policy. We thank WGH Denmark and all our partners who championed this message at the Regional Committee, amplifying the call for health systems that reflect and respond to the needs of all.