Cabinet Minister Sicily Kariuki,
My sister Helen Clark,
Excellencies,
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished board members and alternates,
Dear colleagues and friends,
Thank you, Kenya, and thank you, Cabinet Secretary for Health, for hosting this very, very important meeting. Asante sana, Kenya.
The Beyond Zero Campaign is an initiative launched by Kenya's First Lady, Margaret Gakuo Kenyatta. Its goals are to improve maternal and child health in Kenya, as my sister Sicily said.
My thanks as well to Her Excellency the First Lady of Kenya Margaret Kenyatta, whom we honoured for championing women's and children's health earlier this year when she joined us for our Walk The Talk event during the World Health Assembly.
I’m really sorry I can’t be with you in person in Nairobi, but I’m delighted that we are still able to connect virtually.
I did not want to miss this opportunity to speak with you as you meet to agree on how we can all work together to fulfil our collective promise to women, children and adolescents.
As a former co-Chair of PMNCH – this was when Kul Gautam was chair – I still very much feel part of this family.
I was an active part of PMNCH as Minister of Health, and I know how important women, children and adolescents must be in a nation’s health planning.
The past 12 months have been extremely productive for global health, as you know.
First, the Declaration of Astana adopted last year reaffirms primary health care as the foundation of all health systems.
That’s why WHO calls on all countries to increase public spending on PHC by 1% of GDP.
Second is the one that Helen mentioned: the political declaration on universal health coverage approved at the United Nations General Assembly is really a major milestone. It’s the most comprehensive international health agreement in history.
Third, the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly resolution on UHC represents strong commitment from the world’s parliaments to translate political will into laws, policies, programmes and results.
And fourth, the global health community has come together in the Global Action Plan for Health and Well-Being for All, to support countries to accelerate progress towards the SDG health targets.
The Global Action Plan, with its 7 accelerators, provides an excellent platform for working together to deliver health for all, with focus on maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health.
All of these commitments say explicitly that to achieve universal health coverage, we must prioritise the needs of those left furthest behind, including women, children and adolescents.
And they also acknowledge that we cannot achieve our goals without each other. Partnership is not an option, it is a must.
PMNCH exemplifies the power of partnership.
I understand that today you are going to discuss more concretely the multi-stakeholder platforms which PMNCH is supporting through the H6 and partners to improve alignment, undertake joint advocacy and strengthen accountability.
I would like to see close collaboration between PMNCH, the UHC Partnership and UHC2030. I would also like you to think of what a joint approach needs to look like.
I welcome the efforts of my sister, Joy Phumpahi, who chairs the PMNCH Independent Accountability Panel, to embed the women, children adolescents accountability framework within the broader UHC framework.
But we must go beyond coordination. The voices of people must be heard.
WHO calls on every country to establish an inclusive platform of social participation and societal dialogue that brings together all segments of society – civil society, the private sector, academia, patients’ groups and vulnerable populations such as poor women and children, to engage with parliaments and governments.
I assure you of my personal commitment and WHO’s commitment to the success of PMNCH.
I look forward to hearing the outcomes of your deliberations.
I wish you a fruitful meeting. I thank you.
Asante sana, I thank you