Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the United Nations Populations Fund and Global Leaders Network on Investing In Peace: Health for Adolescent Youth and Women at the TICAD Summit, Yokohama, Japan

Excellencies, distinguished Heads of State and Government,
Acting Executive Director of UNFPA, Diene Keita,
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Development partners and agencies,
Partners from civil society,
Friends from the private sector,
 
It is an honour to stand before you as the chair of the Global Leaders Network for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, alongside fellow members Ethiopia and Nigeria. 
 
The Global Leaders Network is a coalition of heads of state and government united by the conviction that the health, dignity and potential of women, children and adolescents are the cornerstones of a fair, prosperous and peaceful world.
 
The reality that we must confront is that too many women still die in childbirth of preventable causes. 
 
Too many children and adolescents still suffer and die from illnesses we know how to prevent or treat. 
 
These are not inevitable tragedies.
 
Just as every avoidable death is a policy and administrative failure, every life saved is the result of political will.
 
The Global Leaders Network commits at the highest political level to keeping the voices of the most vulnerable alive in the halls of power. 
 
The moral imperative is clear: no woman, child or adolescent should die of preventable causes.
 
We must stand firm against the reversals we are witnessing in sexual and reproductive health and rights. 
 
We believe that every woman has autonomy over her sexuality and reproductive choices. Every adolescent should get comprehensive sexual education. Every person should be free from sexually transmitted diseases. 
 
To translate conviction into action, the Global Leaders Network has identified three priorities for immediate and sustained focus.
 
First, as countries advance universal health coverage, we must place women, children and adolescents at the centre of its design and implementation. 
 
Health services need to be safe, effective, compassionate and responsive to the lived realities of those who need them most. 
 
Our second priority is to increase investment in women’, children’s and adolescents’ health. 
 
As official development assistance is cut, many countries are pursuing domestic resource mobilisation as a sustainable health financing solution. 
 
However, we must continue to foster the principle of solidarity through multilateral financing solutions. This includes the consideration of a gap financing mechanism to address the needs of countries and communities most affected by the withdrawal of official development assistance. 
 
Our third priority is to uphold sexual and reproductive health rights. 
 
The data is clear: a lack of access to safe abortion leads to higher incidents of deaths, costly complications and permanent damage leading to infertility. 
 
I call on governments, financing institutions, development partners, civil society and the private sector to push forward towards 2030 with the following convictions:
 
Firstly, reaffirm and protect funding for women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health as a core pillar of development cooperation, even amid shifting global priorities.
 
Secondly, integrate health into broader development and climate strategies, recognising that resilient health systems are essential for adaptation, recovery and long-term sustainability.
 
Thirdly, continue to invest in innovation and digital health solutions that bridge gaps in access, particularly for rural and marginalised communities.
 
Finally, ensure accountability, so that commitments translate into measurable improvements in survival, well-being and equity.
 
The cost of inaction on these issues will be counted not only in lives lost, but in futures diminished, communities destabilised and economic opportunities foregone. 
 
But the benefits of bold, coordinated action will build social and economic prosperity for generations.
 
Women, children and adolescents must be our priority, for they represent the future that we are all working so hard to secure.
 
I thank you.