As we get closer to the end of 2015, I think back to the end of September in New York and the buzz around the new, bold development agenda. At the United Nations General Assembly,193 governments adopted the new Sustainable Development Goals that will transform the world we live in.
As advocates for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, it was a bittersweet moment as we saw the sharp focus of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 fade, as maternal and child health are now part of a broader SDG 3 on health. We will need to work hard to ensure our priorities remain a top priority for countries, that investments and political will remain intact, or even better, improve. I am reminded of this now, as we are releasing the latest maternal mortality estimates for the MDG era to share the progress to date. And as we prepare to meet with partners and stakeholders to discuss the future of accountability for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health.
In New York on Sept. 26, with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, we launched the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health. The strategy is a new road map based on the best available evidence to ensure that all women, children and adolescents survive, thrive, and transform their societies for a healthy and sustainable future.
About the authors
Flavia Bustreo
Dr. Flavia Bustreo is a leading physician, public health professional, and advocate for the health and human rights of women, children, adolescents, and older adults. She is known for taking action on the social and environmental determinants of health. She is currently vice-chair of Fondation Botnar and co-chair of The Lancet Commission on Gender-Based Violence and Maltreatment of Young People.
Jane Thomason
Jane Thomason is the chief executive officer of Abt Associates Australia, senior adviser for international social policy at Abt Associates and a member of the Devex Impact Strategic Advisory Council. She has worked extensively in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific, Mongolia and the Philippines and has held executive roles in health and development in Australia and internationally.
