Conflict, climate crisis and COVID-19 pose a major threat to the health of women and children

September 25, 2020 – The fragile gains made in improving the health of women and children are threatened by conflict, the climate crisis and COVID-19, according to a new report by Every Woman Every Child.

Protect Progress: Rise, Redirection, Recovery, 2020 highlights that since the Every Woman Every Child movement was launched 10 years ago, led by the UN Secretary-General, remarkable progress has been made in improving the health of women and children worldwide and adolescents. For example, mortality under five has reached
an all-time low in 2019, and more than a billion children have been vaccinated over the past decade. Coverage by immunization, qualified maternity and access to safe drinking water has reached over 80 percent. Maternal mortality has fallen by 35 percent since 2000, with the most significant decline occurring since 2010. It is estimated that 25 million child marriages have also been prevented over the past decade.

However, the conflicts, climate instability and the COVID-19 pandemic endanger the health and well-being of all children and adolescents. The COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating existing injustice in particular, and the disruptions in key health interventions have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable women and children. At the height of the pandemic lock, schools were closed in 192 countries, affecting 1.6 billion students. Domestic violence and abuse of girls and women increased. Poverty and hunger are also on the rise.

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a child under the age of five died every six seconds somewhere around the world,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Millions of children living in conflict zones and fragile environments face even greater difficulties with the onset of a pandemic. We must work together to meet the immediate needs caused by the pandemic, while strengthening health systems. Only then can we protect and save lives. “

In 2019, 5.2 million children under the age of 5 and 1 million adolescents died from a preventable cause. Every 13 seconds a newborn baby dies. Every hour, 33 women did not survive childbirth; and 33,000 girls a day were forced into marriages, usually with much older men. The report examines deep-rooted injustices that continue to deprive women, children and adolescents of their rights, and notes birthplace as a significant determinant of survival. In 2019, 82 percent of deaths under the age of 5 and 86 percent of maternal mortality were concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Nine out of 10 childhood HIV infections occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Mortality rates for mothers, newborns, children and adolescents were significantly higher in countries chronically affected by the conflict.

“Insufficient attention has been paid to the health and rights of women, children and adolescents for too long, and services are not adequately addressed,” said Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Chair of the Steering Committee for Maternal, Infant and Child Health. “We call on all partners to work together to support governments in strengthening health systems and addressing inequalities that hamper progress.”

The report calls on the global community to fight COVID-19, respecting and honoring commitments that can improve the lives of women and children, rather than widening the gap between promise and reality. “The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to return the clock to years of progress in reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health. That is unacceptable, ”said Muhammad Ali Pate, Global Director of Health, Food and Population at the World Bank Group and Director of the Global Fund for Finance. “The partnership with GFF will redouble its efforts to connect with partners and countries and will honor the global commitment to provide all women, adolescents and children with access to the quality and affordable health care they need to survive and thrive.”

The past decade of progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents must be protected from the impact of the pandemic and its response, the report said. “The rapid reversal of strenuous advances in women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health is a real threat, ”said Ties Boerma, director of the 2030 Countdown to Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Children and Adolescents. “As intensive monitoring of the COVID-19 pandemic tells us, timely local data is necessary to be able to target actions and prevent the rise of inequality. Global and national investment in local health systems is urgently needed to focus on response and protect progress. ”

Without intensified efforts to combat preventable infant death, 48 million children under the age of 5 could die between 2020 and 2030. Nearly half of these deaths will be newborns. The report advocates that countries continue to invest in the health of all women, children and adolescents in all crises.

“As we respond to COVID-19 and imagine a better future, with sustainable peace, including at home, we must reiterate unequivocally that women’s and girls’ rights cannot be negotiated. Even in times of crisis – especially in times of crisis – their sexual and reproductive health and rights must be safeguarded at all costs, ”said Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director.

The report argues that the “Every Woman Every Child” movement is more critical than ever as we enter the Decade of SDG in the midst of the worst global health crisis of a generation. The momentum of the movement must continue to advocate multilateralism, mobilize action in all sectors to protect the huge investments and gains made by commitments since its launch 10 years ago, and protect the health and well-being of every woman, child and adolescent, everywhere, everywhere.

“There is no doubt that the pandemic has set back global efforts to improve the health and well-being of women and children, but that should only serve to strengthen our determination,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Our joint action within the Every Woman Every Child movement is more important than ever. We must now renew our commitment to a healthier, safer, fairer and more sustainable world for women, children and future generations. “

Microlocation application link: http://protect.everywomaneverychild.org/

Link to the WHO World Strategy for the Women’s, Children and Adolescent Health Data Portal: https://www.who.int/data/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent/global-strategy-data