The 78th World Health Assembly just concluded in May in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme “One World for Health.” This “one world” is currently held up by 70% of the global health workforce who are women. Yet only 25% of the leadership positions in global health are held by women.
How is it possible that in such a fundamental sector for global well-being, women are still so far from positions of power? From our experience in the field of global health, it is clear that the sector needs more women leaders. The lack of female leadership also extends through the multilateral system. In many of the high-level meetings we attend, we are often the only women present, or among very few.
In the third edition of the GWL Voices report on “Women In Multilateralism 2025,” we analyzed 54 organizations in the multilateral system, highlighting that since 1945, 19 organizations have never been led by a woman, and 17 have elected a woman to the top job only once. This year’s edition also includes never-before-seen data about the gender of permanent representatives accredited to the United Nations since its founding. Only 7% of the more than 2,800 permanent representatives who have served at the U.N. in New York have been women.
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.
Helen Clark
Helen Clark was the prime minister of New Zealand for three successive terms from 1999 to 2008, after an extensive parliamentary and ministerial career. In April 2009, Clark became administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. She was the first woman to lead the organization and served two terms. In July 2020, she was appointed by the director-general of the World Health Organization as a co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
