Significant progress has been made in advancing sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice in the decades following the landmark International Conference on Population and Development, which placed people’s dignity and rights at the heart of sustainable development. Yet women and girls of African descent continue to face alarming disparities in maternal health outcomes due to racism, sexism and structural inequities in health systems.
Addressing racism and sexism in maternal health requires global solidarity, targeted interventions and investments that recognize the intersecting impacts of race and gender, which heighten the vulnerability of racialized groups within healthcare systems.
The Global Coalition for Transnational Solidarity and Action to Bridging the Gap in Maternal Health for Women and Girls of African Descent is a pioneering platform uniting stakeholders across sectors to address the structural inequities that undermine the maternal health – and overall health and well-being – of women and girls of African descent. Through coordinated action, multi-stakeholder partnership and shared learning, the Global Coalition strives for a world in which all women and girls, regardless of their race, ethnicity or origin, have access to high-quality maternal healthcare and can not only survive, but thrive.
In this framework, UNFPA, in coordination with the Government of Costa Rica and in alliance with the Pan American Health Organization and the Universal Access Project, and with the support of the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, will convene the first Global Symposium for the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Afrodescendant Women and Adolescents. The goal is to create a space for intercultural dialogue and collaboration, bringing together diverse stakeholders including Afrodescendant community representatives, women’s organizations, government officials, health professionals and UN agencies to identify strategies that help close the inequality gaps in maternal mortality and adolescent pregnancy within Afrodescendant communities.
The four-day, in-person event will feature consultations, panels, field visits, roundtables and working group sessions, culminating in strategic recommendations for the Global Coalition’s roadmap. These outcomes will be instrumental in advancing the health, rights and well-being of women and girls of African descent. For more information and to join the coalition, contact odavid@unfpa.org.
