Latest news with #HLPF2025
Qatar Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
EAA Foundation and UNDP address green skills and youth employment at HLPF 2025
Tribune News Network Doha The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, a global foundation for education and development, together with the Permanent mission of Qatar to the UN, Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), convened a side event titled 'Bridging the Gap: Green Skills to Finance for Youth Employment' at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF 2025) at the UN Headquarters in New York. The side-event forum highlighted how investing in education, green skills, and financial inclusion can empower young people, particularly in fragile and climate-vulnerable contexts, to lead climate action and drive inclusive economic transformation. The opening remarks at the session were delivered by Mohammed Al Nasser, deputy permanent representative of Qatar to the UN, followed by a keynote speech from Talal Al Hathal, director of EAA Foundation's Al Fakhoora Programme. The panel discussion featured Cassie Flynn, global director of Climate Change at UNDP; Lauren Phillips, deputy director of Rural Transformation and Gender Equality at FAO; Devon McLorg, director of Partnerships at BRAC USA; Rwodah Al Naimi, director of Investment at the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD); and Rahaf Abu Mayyaleh, a Jordanian UNDP youth representative. At the end of the panel discussion, closing remarks were delivered by Khalid Al Kuwari, a Qatari EAA youth advocate. This EAA-UNDP session came as the HLPF 2025 convened under the theme 'Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs for leaving no one behind,' with a particular focus on SDG 8: promoting sustained, inclusive economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. With climate change continuing to disrupt lives, learning, and livelihoods, the urgency to integrate education and employment as core climate response strategies has never been clearer. Through its programmes, Reach Out To All (ROTA) and Silatech, the Education Above All Foundation is addressing these intersecting challenges. The ROTA Programme empowers youth from marginalised and climate affected groups with the green skills, knowledge, values and attitudes needed to take action to address the impacts of climate change in their communities, while the Silatech Programme connects youth to economic opportunities, innovative enterprises, and career pathways, including those that support low-carbon economies. 'Young people hold the power to transform the trajectory of our climate future. By equipping them with quality education, green skills, and access to employment opportunities, we are not only safeguarding their livelihoods but also unlocking their potential to drive resilient, green economies. This event is calling for commitments to take action and ensure no young person is left behind in building a sustainable world,' said Talal Al Hathal, director of EAA Foundation's Al Fakhoora Programme. Through this HLPF 2025 side event, the EAA Foundation, Qatar and UNDP aim to drive forward a global dialogue on how integrated approaches to education, green skills and youth employment can unlock climate solutions and enable inclusive economic growth, in order to catalyse the transition to a greener, more sustainable future.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Health And Gender Equality Are Indivisible And Fundamental Human Rights
'Right to health cannot be dislocated from gender equality and human rights. We have to ensure that gender equality and human right to health are recognised as fundamental human rights in all countries,' said Lucknow-based Shobha Shukla, who was the Lead Discussant for SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) at the United Nations intergovernmental High Level Political Forum (HLPF 2025) at UN HQ in New York (14-23 July 2025). She was the only Indian on the panel and speaking on behalf of Asia Pacific Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism. The theme of HLPF 2025 is 'Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind'. The 2025 HLPF with full appreciation for the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals, is conducting in-depth reviews of: SDG-3 (ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages); SDG-5 (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls); SDG-8 (promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all); SDG-14 (conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development); and SDG-17 (strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development). 'Progress towards SDG3, continues to be stunted in the Asia Pacific region, such as on universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights; communicable and noncommunicable diseases; universal health coverage; and access for all to safe, effective, quality and affordable disease prevention tools like vaccines, diagnostics and medicines,' said Shobha Shukla, who earlier taught physics at Loreto Convent College and leads CNS as Founder Executive Director. She is a feminist and development justice leader who coordinates Sexual Health with Equity & Rights (SHE & Rights). 'Gender disparities significantly impact health outcomes and evidence shows that SDG 3 goals cannot be realised without addressing SDG 5 on gender equality. Rise of anti-rights and anti-gender ideologies, including the regressive Geneva Consensus Declaration, the most recent trend of defunding development assistance for gender equality and health, the impact of austerity measures in debt-ridden countries, deprioritisation of health spending, and poor domestic resource allocation on health, are contributing to reversal in progress towards SDG3,' she added. Sexual and reproductive health and bodily autonomy are critical to deliver on SDG3 and other SDGs 'Essential health services must include sexual and reproductive health services - including safe abortion and post-abortion care, menstrual health hygiene, and mental health services, with particular attention to women, adolescent girls, persons with disability, indigenous peoples, gender diverse communities, older people, young people, migrant workers, refugees, people living with HIV, sex workers, people who use drugs, among others. They must also include all health and social support services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,' said Shobha Shukla. Save the medicines that protect us 'All countries must stop misuse and overuse of medicines in all sectors and prevent antimicrobial resistance using the One Health approach,' said Shobha Shukla who serves as Chairperson of Global Antimicrobial Resistance Media Alliance (GAMA). 'WHO FCTC Articles 5.3 and 19 empower governments to make tobacco and nicotine industries liable and pay for the harm they are causing to human health and our planet. All forms of corporate capture of public health policy must end and corporations that are causing harm to human health and the environment must be held liable,' she said. Gender-transformative reforms of global financial architecture is vital Gender transformative economic system that is based on rights to justice, care, and equality for everyone urgently. Because most of the countries in the Global South are in the cycles of perennial debt – which they have to keep servicing to international financial institutions. This results into austerity measures which include countries cutting down on public services, access to health services, education services, social protection services, among others. Governments must suspend patents and lift trade rules that impede access to medicines and medical technologies, said Shobha Shukla. UN Charter and other legally binding treaties like CEDAW, FCTC, etc have to take primacy over trade deals - we cannot let profit override people's interests. Also, we cannot forget COVID-19 when multilateralism failed the Global South. Vaccines were piled up and expired ones thrown by some rich nations when Global South nations had no dose for example. We cannot have Global North heavy multilateralism. 'Governments also need to address occupational health and provide meaningful 'right to know' to workers, prioritize prevention, and establish exposure limits protective of the most vulnerable populations. All SDG3 targets must be fully-funded and DAC countries (30 developed nations that give aid to developing nations) should fulfill their commitment to official development assistance (ODA) for gender equality and health. At the same time countries must mobilise domestic resources for health,' she added. Health responses and all public services must be person-centred, gender transformative and rights-based 'We have to ensure that health responses and all public services are people-centred, gender transformative and rights-based for all, without any condition or exclusion,' said Shobha Shukla, lead discussant for SDG3 at HLPF 2025. 'With less than 5 and a half years left to deliver on SDG3, we appeal to governments to step up their actions on gender equality and right to health - where no one is left behind,' she said.
Scoop
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Reforming Global Financial Architecture Is Critical For Gender Equality And Right To Health
14 July 2025 While governments have committed to deliver on Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, inequalities, injustices and deadly divide between the Global North and Global South nations (and within rich and poor nations) has jeopardised progress on SDG goals and targets – including gender equality and right to health – both of which are fundamental human rights. 'If we do a reality check, in the current times, we are in a dysfunctional international financing architecture – with countries in the Global South facing the brunt. We are increasingly facing challenges to mobilise resources for our own development. Because most of the countries in the Global South are in the cycles of perennial debt – which they have to keep servicing to international financial institutions. This results into austerity measures which include countries cutting down on public services, access to health services, education services, social protection services, among others,' said Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Deputy Executive Director, Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW). 'While it impacts the general population, marginalised communities, and poor people, the impact on women and girls in all their diversity across the strata is much higher. Data tells us that developing countries are seeing a record high debt servicing costs in 2023. This is straining low- and middle-income economies. This is compounded by a US$ 4 trillion annual investment gap for SDG achievement in developing countries,' she added. In 2024, official development assistance from 30 DAC nations (developed nations that provide aid to developing countries) declined by 7.1% in real terms - the first drop in five years - reaching only US$ 212.1 billion (0.33% of combined gross national income). UN target for developed countries is to allocate 0.7% of their gross national income as official development assistance but it dipped to less than half to 0.33%. Poor investment in social sector fails us in economic sector too 'When there are poor social investments in the social sector then it does not contribute to the economic sector. Domestic resource mobilisation for the public sector for social protection, health, and education is less too. With declining official development assistance and perennial debt cycles, the impact becomes even more severe. This is going to impact gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights at so many different levels,' said Sai of ARROW. Sai was delivering her keynote address at SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity & Rights) session on the theme: 'Did the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development deliver on gender equality & feminist agenda?', organised around UN inter-governmental High Level Political Forum (HLPF 2025) and 13th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2025). HLPF 2025 will review SDG3 (health and wellbeing), SDG5 (gender equality) among others. SHE & Rights session was co-hosted by International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) 2025, Family Planning News Network (FPNN), Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and CNS. Governments did not deliver on feminist agenda but Feminist Forum gives hope The 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) of the United Nations concluded a week ago in Seville, Spain. But FfD4 did not achieve its objective of restructuring the global economy and financial system, to benefit all equitably, including women, girls and all gender diverse peoples. FfD4 failed to guarantee long-term, flexible, inclusive, equitable financing for development. FfD4 looked into women and girls as merely 'economic potentials' for 'economic benefits' without really addressing the fundamental barriers to gender justice, including labour rights, safeguards for corporate abuses and preventing gender-based violence in the workplace. 'Feminist agenda refers to a gender transformative economic system that is based on rights to justice, care, and equality for everyone urgently. This was central to the Political Declaration of Feminist Forum held before the FfD4 began in Seville, Spain. But FfD4 failed to deliver on gender equality and feminist agenda,' said Sai Jyothirmai Racherla of ARROW. Feminist Forum's Political Declaration also called for deescalating wars and ending territorial invasions and genocide - "nothing less from this is acceptable," rightly stressed Sai. Sai feels that FfD4 conference outcome document was a mix bag, "as it was a diluted version of the vision and ambition of the Action Agenda adopted at 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2015), and also of Monterrey Consensus adopted at the 1st International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD1) in Monterrey, Mexico (2002), as well as Doha Declaration on financing for development (2008). FfD4 outcome document also compromised the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) 1994 and the Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action 1995 commitments." Empowerment of women and girls, economic value inherent in unpaid care work, and references to eradicating gender-based violence were mentioned in FfD4 outcome document but the broader and deeper aspects of gender equality or sexual and reproductive health and rights were missing in the FfD4 outcome document. "From the very beginning, the demand to reform international financing architecture was undeniably strong, to realise gender-just economy in which financing for development will result in equitable outcomes for all, in terms of fair distribution of resources within countries - and in between countries. We need to reform international financing architecture to promote social, economic, and environmental justice and strengthen democracy and multilateralism equitably. This was not achieved at FfD4," said Sai. Reality check on gender equality and health "2 pregnant persons die every minute. 700 women die unnecessarily from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth every day, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. To reach the global target of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, nearly 700,000 maternal deaths need to be prevented between 2024 and 2030," said Sai. The current international financial architecture is not working and does not guarantee long-term, flexible, inclusive, equitable financing for development. "We need to restructure global economic governance to centre feminist leadership, Global South parity, and the meaningful leadership of civil society and marginalised communities. This includes democratising decision-making across all the international financial institutions and multilateral development banks, including through the urgent reform of the voting systems of the IMF and the World Bank. This is part of Political Declaration of Feminist Forum held before FfD4 too," she added. In Asia-Pacific, household health expenditures (SDG indicator 3.8.2) remain high, placing families under financial strain and limiting access to essential services. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the percentage of people in South-East Asia spending more than 10% of their total household income on health has increased, rising from 13.1% in 2010 to 16.1% in 2019. "Global poverty reduction is virtually at a standstill. Around 9% of people worldwide lived in extreme poverty in 2022. While social protection coverage has reached a milestone of covering half the world's population, low-income countries have shown almost no improvement since 2015 - with coverage rates of 9.7%, with poorest within these countries left behind," said Sai of ARROW. Polycrisis "Global South is also in an age of poly-crisis. For example, the climate crises are becoming real. Just the Asia-Pacific region in the Global South, accounts for 40% of global natural disaster events. These natural disasters further increase the burden of unpaid domestic work for women who have to invest more hours in securing water, food, and energy for cooking and heating the homes. The closing or underfunding of public services such as health centres, schools, and water provision facilities due to debt crises and increasing debt service payments, is further exacerbated in extreme climate events, and natural disasters. Simply put in the context of disasters, the health services are just not accessible for women and girls," rightly says Sai. Hope lies in the people and communities Even if inter-governmental FfD4 disappointed, hope lies in people and communities. "Moving forward, Feminist Forum's Political Declaration calls for funding and resourcing genuine multi-stakeholder feminist platforms and partnerships with women's civil society, especially from the Global South. It is important to ensure civil society leadership and engagement in these processes like FfD4. We are also asking for eliminating all economic policy conditionalities that are attached to aid because these conditionalities promote austerity, privatisation and deregulation. We do not want conditionality when it comes to loans. There should be no loans in the first place (for development assistance), rather these should be grants," said Sai. "We must reform financial architecture so that it can guarantee long-term flexible, inclusive, and equitable financing for development. We also need to restructure the global economic governance because currently it is very Global North heavy. We need to have Global South parity. We need to include democratisation of the decision-making processes across the international financial institutions and the multilateral development banks," she added. "We are not going to stop until we deliver on gender equality. We will continue to do our work to demand for a right-based, environmentally-just, decolonial, intersectional, sustainable, and person-centred economic model. We need such an economic model in current times where care, reparations, redistribution and accountability remain central," rightly said Sai Jyothirmai Racherla of ARROW. Shobha Shukla – CNS (Citizen News Service) (Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA received AMR One Health Emerging Leaders and Outstanding Talents Award 2024). She also coordinates SHE & Rights initiative (Sexual health with equity & rights). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here
