Local governments help bring the EWEC Global Strategy to the community-level
Every Woman Every Child continues to catalyse collective action to bring to life its EWEC Global Strategy and provide a roadmap for countries to deliver on an inter-connected and inter-dependent agenda for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health across the continuum of care.
Tremendous progress has been made. Since the launch of the updated Global Strategy in 2015, 64 governments and over 180 organizations have made commitments, totaling over $28 billion. Such commitments are crucial to strengthen our collective efforts to ensure the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Nearly two years into the implementation of the Global Strategy and the SDGs more broadly, efforts must focus on delivering concrete results at the local level. Subnational governments have a key role to play here, as they are well placed to link the SDGs with the unique needs of their local communities. And by localizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, governments can help encourage concrete action by their citizens, as the agents of change needed to deliver on the SDGs.
Earlier this year, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) became the first region to have a coordination mechanism to tailor the implementation of the Global Strategy to its regional context with the launch of the Commitment to Action led by H.E. President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, as Co-Chair of the High-Level Steering Group for Every Woman Every Child. Through collective commitment across sectors and borders, the EWEC LAC initiative aims to address critical drivers of poor health and wellbeing for women, children and adolescents in the region.
More recently, the Every Woman Every Child China Partnership Network, under the leadership of Mme. Li Xiaolin, a member of the High-level Steering Group for EWEC and the President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, has mobilized the first set of commitments from three provincial governments in China: Hubei, Sichuan and Zhejiang.
These commitments’ focus range from gender equity in physical and mental healthcare services to advocacy around healthy lifestyles; reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health education and early childhood development.
More information on these commitments can be found here.
Sub-national commitments are pivotal in mobilizing grass-root efforts, enhancing local community engagement, and allowing for exchange of experiences and best practices that respond to the unique needs of communities. Commitments on behalf of cities, states or regions may be pledged as a letter signed by the mayor, governor or local government leader, addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General, and submitted electronically to everywoman.everychild@un.org.
Local non-governmental actors from the private sector, civil society and academia also have a key role to play in making the Global Strategy a reality at local level, to reach the most marginalized, leaving no one behind.
More information on non-governmental commitments is available here.
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Photo credit: UN Photo/John Isaac