Colleagues and Partners
Ladies and Gentlemen
A very good morning to you all.
It is fitting that we are meeting here today: outdoors, surrounded by open space and greenery.
This is, of course, not the usual setting for a technical consultation. And that is exactly the point.
A conversation about gender equality and rights deserves a different kind of space—that is open, relaxed, and encourages honest dialogue.
I am pleased we have created that space today.
This technical consultation focuses on the UN Secretary-General's Gender Equality Acceleration Plan — the GEAP.
The GEAP pivots the entire UN system to deliver more effectively for women and girls.
Last year, our DG Dr. Tedros made clear WHO's commitment to operationalizing this plan throughout our organization, and across all our regions.
That isn’t simply a corporate commitment.
It is a recognition that health outcomes can’t be improved at scale unless we address the structural inequalities that shape them: inequalities that are rooted in gender, power, and access.
Gender as a determinant of health is cross-cutting.
And so, advancing gender equality in and through health is simply essential to improving the health of all our people.
Also, as I am sure everyone here knows, addressing inequity and gender inequalities is very central to GPW14 as well.
Therefore, gender equality, rights, and equity must be central to all our technical programming.
This isn’t a peripheral priority for us.
The stewardship of that agenda rests with my office, and it will continue to get the urgency and energy of our seniormost leadership.
But stewardship does not mean ownership.
It can’t be owned by one team or one department - it must be co-owned by all of us.
That is also why I am pleased to see colleagues from across many of our departments here today.
In fact, this consultation is itself a joint effort, between the GER and PRS team, and the JPP's Journal Club.
This type of collaboration and co-ownership is exactly what we need to advance gender equality.
I encourage each of you to participate actively today.
Your perspectives and experiences from different technical areas are not just welcome — they are essential.
The recommendations from this consultation will feed directly into the Technical Note on operationalizing the GEAP for WHO SEARO.
What you contribute today will shape how we move forward as an organization.
I look forward to a constructive and informative dialogue.
But most of all, I look forward to Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL women and girls.
Thank you, and let’s get started.