Recognizing women's role in achieving universal health coverage

The first plenary session of the sixteenth session Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa (RCM) on 28 March 2015 discussed the United Nation’s system support to the African Union’s Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Agenda 2063. The panel was co-chaired by Mr. Anthony Mothae Maruping, Commissioner for Economic Affairs, AUC and Mr. Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and had as panelists, Mr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict; Ms. Bineta Diop, Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, African Union; Ms. Lukshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women); and Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, Regional Director for Africa, World Health Organization (WHO).

The panelists highlighted the need to give women an equal voice, and increase their access to economic resources; equal accss to decent work and equal pay for equal work; and the need to increase access to family planning services, among others.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, stressed the importance of good health for women given the role that women play in their communities. She highlighted the work of WHO in mainstreaming gender in health care programs, policies and strategies; and its support to countries in developing resilient health systems and investing in health, so as to achieve equitable access to basic health services for everybody, including women and children. Dr Moeti also underlined the importance of good quality data in health that is crucial for situation analysis, action, for decisions and policies as well as for monitoring and evaluation of impact.

For more information, please contact: Dr Innocent Ntaganira, email: ntaganirai [at] who.int