WHO official stresses keenness in addressing gender leadership gap

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Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, said: “Addressing the gender leadership gap in health continues to be at the heart of the WHO Regional Vision 2023.”

In a message on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2021, Al-Mandhari said: “The World is celebrating today the International Women’s Day; an opportunity to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate women and their contribution in the development of their communities.”

The 2021 International Women’s Day theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”.

“One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, has exacerbated social inequalities and highlighted the disproportionate impact that emergencies, including health emergencies, have on the health and socio-economic stability of women and girls,” the WHO official added.

While highlighting the disproportionate burden that women carry, the crisis clearly demonstrated the centrality of their contribution in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, since day one, women have been at the frontline of the response, he noted.

In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, women constitute the majority of the health workforce as physicians, nurses and midwives. Restlessly, over the past year, they have been providing care for people affected by COVID-19, while continuing to take care of their families and supporting their communities, according to Al-Mandhari

“Women’s central and indispensable role goes beyond the provision of care. The response to the pandemic has proven that we need to ensure women’s stronger presence in decision-making. Women’s leadership and voice are needed at all levels to drive progress for everyone including in health systems,” Al-Mandhari explained.

“International Women’s Day is a reminder and an opportunity to renew our collective commitments to promote gender equity and health equality as we endeavour to address the implications of the pandemic on women and girls, and strive to build back better and fairer for everyone in our Region and across the whole world,” Al-Mandhari concluded.

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