Opening remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the High-Level GLN event on Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, UN General Assembly, New York, USA

Programme Director, The Right Honourable Helen Clark, 
Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, President Duma Boko,
Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government of the Global Leaders Network and of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance,
Chair of the African Union Commission, Mr Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, 
Ministers and members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Prof Senait Fisseha,
Representatives of the Global Leaders Network Troika: WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA
Representatives of the ALMA Partnerships,
Friends of the Global Leaders Network,
Members of the Media,

It gives me great pride to co-host this important event with President Duma Boko, the Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance.

Today, we stand together, united behind a bolder global health security agenda.

We intend to move forward collaboratively to protect and preserve the health and well-being of the most vulnerable populations all over the world.

Over the past three years, the Global Leaders Network has established itself as a united force of sitting Heads of State and Government to improve global health.

Our focus is on the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents across the world.

The Global Leaders Network has been building consensus on solutions to the most pressing problems facing global health today.

Since we met last year on the margins of UNGA, the challenges are escalating: conflict, displacement, economic shocks and the climate emergency have reversed hard-won gains in health and development. 

Women, children and adolescents – those whose wellbeing defines the future of every society – are bearing a disproportionate burden.

The international community pledged through the Sustainable Development Goals to end preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths, and to secure universal access to sexual and reproductive health services by 2030.

While significant progress has been made, survival gains have stalled since 2015.

Unless we take bold actions, it is estimated that 60 countries will fall short of meeting the SDG target for under-5 mortality and 65 countries will not achieve the SDG target for neonatal mortality.

Over 700 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 

Many of these women are adolescent girls. 

Complications from pregnancy, including unsafe abortions, are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19 years. 

Behind every number is a family torn apart, a community destabilised, a future cut short.

The cost of inaction is staggering in lost lives and lost potential.

According to McKinsey and the World Economic Forum, closing the women’s health gap could generate a $1 trillion annual boost to the global economy by 2040, while delivering tens of millions of healthier life years. 

This underscores the huge return we forgo when we fail to invest.

A great concern of the Global Leaders Network, which we share with the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, is the sharp withdrawal of official development assistance for global health. 

Since last year, many critical programmes for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health have collapsed or face severe cuts. 

Immunisation campaigns are being scaled back. Maternal health services are closing. Adolescent sexual and reproductive health programmes are disappearing. 

Essential programmes to eliminate malaria have been compromised.

This leaves millions without care and erodes decades of progress. 

All this unfolds against a backdrop of intensifying conflict. 

Wars destroy clinics and hospitals, disrupt supply chains for essential medicines, and expose women and girls to heightened risks of violence and exploitation. 

In 2023, countries with humanitarian response plans – which include fragile and crisis settings – accounted for about 64 percent of global maternal deaths, 50 percent of newborn deaths and 51 percent of stillbirths.

The Global Leaders Network is dedicated to building global ties and strengthening cooperation between and within countries.

To this end, we are delighted that we are able to demonstrate a united front between the Global Leaders Network and African Leaders Malaria Alliance.

In July this year, President Duma Boko of Botswana wrote to me to suggest that we work together on a gap financing mechanism for global health to address the cuts in official development assistance. 

President Boko will talk more on this today and the steps that will be necessary to close the health financing gap left by the withdrawal of much Official Development Assistance.

As the Global Leaders Network, as all of us gathered here today, let us reaffirm our commitment to three priority areas: increasing investment, universal health coverage, and upholding sexual and reproductive health rights.

I wish to convey my sincere thanks to everyone who is present here. 

This signals a strong and sustained commitment to women and future generations – the generations that will be responsible for growth, progress and shared prosperity.

We look forward to productive deliberations, bold commitments and determined actions.

I thank you.