The silent health emergency

On Wednesday the 4th of May the Global Perspectives Initiative hosted a breakfast with Melinda French Gates to discuss women’s health, gender equality, financing of global health intuitions and Germany’s continued role in global leadership.

Global crises make us aware of the many areas that still need improvement – Covid-19 especially showed the many staggering effects of inefficient health financing. It is in exceptional situations that women and girls are particularly affected, and access to safe and affordable sexual and reproductive health (SRH), family planning, and maternal, newborn, and child health is critical.

Together with our guests we discussed why it is so important to continue financing of global health intuitions such as the Global Fund and the Global Financing Facility. Ms French Gates stated that “Germany’s continued support for the Global Fund will be critical to improving health outcomes in low-income communities, especially for women and girls.” The Global Fund has had many positive gains over the years, drastically decreasing the cases of Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV worldwide.

With Germany hosting the G7 conference this year, it is especially important to highlight Germany’s role and to think of holistic approaches to improve gender equality in the world. By improving women’s and girl’s health, one creates a foundation to improve the economic and educational basis. This holistic approach includes taking a gendered standpoint to many issues – which the new feminist foreign policy and feminist development policy of Germany aims to do.