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Connecting the Dots: Women, Peace, and Security and Reproductive Health
›It is well established that women’s and girls’ lives are disproportionately affected by humanitarian emergencies—and that these crises often underscore pre-existing discriminatory practices. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), women and children account for more than 75 percent of those at risk from war, famine, persecution, and natural disaster. During these emergencies (and in their aftermath), women and girls are exposed to greater threats, such as the loss of livelihoods, education, and security due to displacement and the breakdown of social order.
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Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: Complementary Investments Are Key
›In 2018, the Lancet Commission on High Quality Health Systems ignited a global shift in focus and investment for maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH).
Increasing access to care had been a primary focus during previous decades, but the Commission found that as service use increased, “poor-quality care” had become a more significant obstacle to reducing mortality than insufficient access. The Commission also argued that increasing access alone would not achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3—ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being. What the world needed now was an intensified focus on improving quality of care.
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High Temperatures Threaten Maternal and Newborn Health–Climate Change Policy Must Adjust
›Extreme heat can be deadly, and 2023 is on track to be the hottest year on record. In the United States, heatwaves cause more deaths than any other weather related events. In Europe, close to 62,000 deaths during Summer 2022 were linked to heat related causes. Globally, an estimated 5 million people a year die from extreme temperatures–hot and cold.
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Connecting the Dots: The Interplay between Education and Sexual and Reproductive Health
›The importance of quality education for girls cannot be understated. And when global thought leaders, policymakers, gender advocates, and researchers convened in Rwanda in July at the Women Deliver 2023 Conference, it was a chance to discuss a topic increasingly at the forefront of global conversation: How can quality education advance gender equality and empowerment worldwide?
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New Global Health & Gender Policy Brief: Menstrual Health and Management
›Of the 1.8 billion people who menstruate each month, 500 million are unable to adequately manage menstruation, leading to health, economic, and safety concerns. Menstruation remains a taboo topic that is often overlooked within health sectors. But recent attention from global health, international development, women’s empowerment, and humanitarian organizations has increased awareness for the impact of menstruation on women’s participation in societies and economies.
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Finding the Power to Prevent Maternal Deaths: Women Deliver 2023
›The 2023 Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda offered participants an opportunity to think deeply about gender equality, and the urgency of this moment in making progress was evident – even at a pre-conference event hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): Scaling Up Actions to End Preventable Maternal Deaths: Linkages with Family Planning, Bodily Autonomy and the Health Workforce.
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ECSP Weekly Watch | July 17 – 21
›A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program
Extreme Heat’s Toll on Pregnancy and Reproductive Health
Preliminary data collected by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that the first week of July 2023 was the hottest week on record. Recent global heatwaves also prompted a public health alert from the WMO concerning rising health risks.
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Midwives in Humanitarian Settings: Realities of Strengthening an Essential Health Workforce
›One in every 23 people is expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2023. That is a record 339 million this year alone. During such humanitarian crises, the needs of women, newborns and adolescents are often unmet, with devastating consequences. In fact, in 2023, 58 percent of global maternal deaths, 50 percent of newborn deaths, and 51 percent of stillbirths worldwide occur in the 29 countries with a UN humanitarian response plan or regional response plan.
Showing posts from category sexual and reproductive health.