The Global Leaders Network Pushes to Protect Women’s and Children’s Health By Shuli Wong Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

The Global Leaders Network Pushes to Protect Women’s and Children’s Health By Shuli Wong UNITED NATIONS, Sep 28 2026 (IPS) - In the wake of the largest decline in global health financing on record, the Global Leaders Network (GLN) for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent Health convened a high-level meeting on September 22 to sustain political momentum for women and children’s health financing. The event, Financing for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health in a Time of Austerity, was co-hosted by the Governments of South Africa, Spain, and Tanzania, in addition to the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (PMMCH). Throughout the meeting, GLN members repeatedly called for a financing reset for women’s, children’s, and adolescent health (WCAH), warning that reduced global assistance and rising debt could reverse decades of progress. In 2025, official development assistance (ODA) fell to USD 174.3 billion, a 23.1 percent drop from 2024 and the largest annual decline on record. Simultaneously, the external debt in low- and middle-income countries reached a record USD 8.9 trillion, with debt-servicing costs remaining at a historic high. The reduction in assistance, with the increase in debt, has limited governments’ abilities to invest in essential services, leading to consequences for WCAH. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/09/the-global-leaders-network-pushes-to-protect-womens-and-childrens-health/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=How_to_Protect_Coastal_Communities_From_TideRelated_Loss_and_Damage_in_Bangladesh_For_Pakistan_Risin Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -