Statement to WHA74: FIGO on the health of women and girls
FIGO submitted the following written and verbal statements to the 74th World Health Assembly on Saturday 29 May 2021 under agenda item grouping 4 of Pillar 1 – Health in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the health workforce, and the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.
FIGO's written statement
The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics supports global action to invest in the health workforce, particularly as it pertains to the health of women and girls. Sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health (SRMNAH) are essential elements of not only the sustainable development goals, but of women’s health across their lifespan. Only through investment will we see an improvement in this and the health and wellbeing of future generations.
The message from The State of the World’s Midwifery 2021 was clear: we must invest in education and health system structures for all SRMNAH. Estimates from the report suggest that we can only address 75% of needs in the best of circumstances – and in low-income countries, less than 50%. By 2030, the forecast shortage is 1 million personnel. What we know is that for us to achieve resilient health systems, we must ground them in primary health care, which is vital to the health and wellbeing of every woman, every newborn, every child, every adolescent.
To have a robust global health system that is truly resilient, universal health coverage is crucial. And universal health coverage must include essential health services, from preventive care – including reproductive decisions as to if or when a woman decides to conceive – to a recognition of the impact of environmental exposures on health and the fundamental inclusion of surgical care on the global stage. Nowhere is that need, that balance, appreciated more completely than in obstetrics and gynaecology. We understand that to achieve success we need an educated, trained and effective workforce.
A successful strategy will rely on well-integrated and collaborative teams of health care professionals, working to established, high-quality levels of training. To this end, FIGO calls on Member States to work together to build a resilient and robust global health care system.
FIGO's verbal intervention
Your excellencies, colleagues and friends,
The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics supports global action to invest in the health workforce.
Sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health are all essential elements of not only the sustainable development goals, but of women’s health across their lifespan.
The message from the State of the World’s Midwifery 2021 was clear: only through investment in education, training and health system structures will we see an improvement in the health and wellbeing of this and future generations.
To achieve resilient health systems, we must ground them in primary health care. To have a robust global system that is truly resilient, universal health coverage is crucial.
A successful strategy will rely on well-integrated and collaborative teams of health care professionals, working to established, high-quality standards.
To this end, FIGO calls on Member States to work together with unwavering commitment to build a resilient and robust global health care system.
Thank you.
Read all of the statements FIGO submitted to this year’s World Health Assembly.
The WHA74 statement portal also contains statements made by other non-state actors in official relations with the WHO. You can watch all recorded sessions of the WHA on the WHO website.