G20's Wellbeing Challenge: Overcoming The Health Challenges Faced By Women, Children And Adolescents

Within the G20 countries, almost two million preventable deaths, including stillbirths, occur annually among mothers, newborns, children, and adolescents. These adverse outcomes are attributed to the “four Cs”: Covid-19, conflict, climate change, and the cost of living crisis, which have collectively wrought havoc on the health and prosperity of these vulnerable populations. Systemic discrimination, rising occurrences of extreme weather events, food insecurity, and poverty are identified as key contributors to the stagnation in the health status of women, children, and adolescents. The article highlights that as early as 2000, the climate crisis had already claimed over 1.5 million lives globally, with children bearing 88 percent of this burden. Notably, women make up 80 percent of those displaced by the climate emergency due to gender-based economic and social disparities.

The pervasive inequalities, environmental degradation, and loss of human life and capital are deeply troubling. These factors disproportionately affect women, highlighting the phenomenon known as the “feminisation of poverty.” The gender pay gap persists worldwide, persisting even when educational levels are comparable.

Recognising that the G20 nations collectively represent two-thirds of the global population and wield substantial global influence, it highlights the immediate imperative for the G20 to take cohesive action to enhance the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents while mitigating preventable loss of life. It applauds India”s current G20 presidency for its commitment to achieving universal health coverage and elevating healthcare service delivery on a global scale. India”s initiatives in digital health solutions, launched in 2021, are highlighted for their ability to register over a billion individuals for immunisation monitoring and administer more than 1.78 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Additionally, India”s proposals targeting the intersection of climate and health and the enhancement of pandemic preparedness and response are noted. This highlights the importance of ensuring that these initiatives prioritise gender- and age-sensitive approaches, particularly by prioritising women-centric digital health services.

This emphasises the necessity of international cooperation to share best practices and address common challenges. Effective adaptation to climate change, for instance, necessitates systemic approaches and mutual support in terms of raising financial resources and building technological capacities through South-South and North-South cooperation. The G20 nations are urged to take more substantial actions to overcome the health and well-being challenges faced by women, children, and adolescents.

It outlines several key priorities for the G20 nations:

Prioritising Cross-Cutting Financing: G20 countries must prioritise increased cross-cutting financing aimed at strengthening health systems, enhancing access to essential health services, and addressing the social determinants of health, including poverty and gender inequality. Investments in physical and digital infrastructure, with a gender perspective, can alleviate the burden of unpaid work, enhance well-being, stimulate job creation, increase labor force participation, reduce the digital gender gap, boost productivity, and foster economic growth.

Addressing Health Spending Challenges: Many countries struggle to maintain pre-pandemic levels of health spending, adversely affecting the health of women, children, and adolescents worldwide. Global efforts are imperative to help countries strengthen their health systems, attract more development assistance for health, and identify sustainable solutions to alleviate debt burdens. The G20 is called upon to advocate for such efforts.

Establishing Robust Data Systems: To effectively monitor and implement policies and programs, robust data systems are essential. Given the G20 countries” substantial global influence, they are uniquely positioned to advance research and develop new and improved health technologies and vaccines. It is crucial to engage women, children, and adolescents meaningfully in these areas when making decisions.

Investing in Early Childhood: Investment in the early years of childhood is emphasised, including the implementation of family-friendly policies and universal social protection. Such investments can enhance cognitive capital, shaping intellectual skills nurtured prenatally and in early childhood, which in turn determine human capabilities. These investments are seen as instrumental in driving inclusive economic growth.

Tackling Youth Unemployment: Addressing youth unemployment across the G20 ensures the development of adolescents” skills, particularly in areas such as digital literacy. Encouraging technology-driven and environmentally conscious growth is vital to this endeavour.

In conclusion, it calls upon the G20 to prioritise the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents by institutionalising it as a permanent fixture on its agenda for action. Achieving this goal demands dedicated, enhanced, and sustained financing, coupled with increased global coordination and solidarity to ensure that no woman, child, adolescent, or country is left behind. Ultimately, the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents are indispensable for achieving sustainable economic growth on a global scale, a mission that hinges on robust G20 leadership.