By Ebunoluwa Sessou
The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed has harped on the need to harness multilateralism and partnership with the vision to change the narrative, saying keeping momentum for maternal and child health and recovery strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic; should be the focus on the universal health coverage that strengthens accountability and investing wisely.
In a statement during a virtual event for the launch the programme to mark the 10-year anniversary of Every Woman, Every Child, on the theme, “Protect the Progress- Rise, Refocus, Recover: The 2020 Progress Report on the Every Woman, Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health”, Mohammed stated that the return on the investment and its positive ripple effect will be transformational for families, communities and societies at large.
According to her, Women and children are the faces of the Decade of Action ahead. “In 2030, we will judge our success in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals by the lives we have saved and transformed. The need to harness the positive power of multilateralism and partnership with a common vision for change has never been more urgent”.
“There is no time to lose. Let us commit to the challenge of protecting our progress. We have heard of the successes since its launch: steep declines in global maternal and child mortality, 1 billion children vaccinated, and millions of child marriages prevented. These could not have been achieved without this global partnership”.
“But our gains have proven fragile, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, deadly conflicts and the existential threat of the climate crisis. Leaders everywhere are focused on fighting the pandemic while trying to keep societies strong and resilient. As we search for solutions, we must take a broad view”.
Adding that women and children are the foundation of the communities and the future, she stressed that plans to respond to and recover from COVID-19 must prioritize their rights and ensure continued access to services that support health, access to clean water, nutrition, and education.
“While much is still unknown and uncertain, our collective goal endures: for women, children, and adolescents everywhere to survive and thrive, and for their lives to be transformed. Today, I call on each of you to join the Secretary-General in refocusing our efforts to usher in a decade of ambitious action to protect progress for every woman, child, and adolescent, everywhere”, she added
