MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heads of State to Reaffirm Commitment to Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health at UNGA 2025

The Global Leadership Network (GLN) for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (WCAH) will convene its third Heads of State event on the sidelines of the 2025 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), under the theme: “Recommitting to Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health and Rights: A Call to Action for Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development.” This high-level gathering comes at a critical time, as global instability, shrinking development financing, and escalating humanitarian crises continue to threaten the health and rights of women, children, and adolescents. The event will serve as a strategic moment to renew political momentum and elevate WCAH as a cornerstone of peace, security, and sustainable development.

Key Themes and Objectives:

• Reaffirm WCAH as a central pillar of national and global development agendas.
• Mobilise bold political and financial commitments, grounded in gender-responsive and equity-based approaches.
• Address the specific needs of women, children, and adolescents in humanitarian and fragile settings.
• Explore innovative and sustainable financing solutions to counter declining Official Development Assistance.
• Advance a model for sustained, head-of-state-level accountability through the GLN.

Event Details:

WHAT: Second Heads of State Gathering of the Global Leaders Network (GLN) for WCAH

WHO: The Global Leaders Network is chaired by H.E. President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa and includes member countries such as Denmark, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Tanzania.

When: 24 September 2025

Time: 13:15 – 14:30 Eastern Standard Time (EST) (Check local time zones accordingly)

Where: United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 4

(Hybrid format – Please register to attend in-person here, or livestream here)

Media Contact:

Contact: Kadi Toure, Communications and Campaigns, PMNCH

Email: tourek@who.int

Number: +41 79 540 71 23

About The Global Leaders Network (GLN):

Initiated in 2023, the Global Leaders Network is the first and only Global South-led global health diplomacy initiative to support the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals related to women, children, and adolescents. The GLN is creating a pathway towards the reduction of maternal, neonatal, and adolescent mortality rates by a third in network countries by 2030.

About PMNCH:

Established in 2005, PMNCH is the world’s largest alliance for women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health and well-being, with nearly 1,500 partner organizations working together through 6 constituency groups:

• Adolescents and Youth
• Governments and Intergovernmental Organizations
• Health-Care Professionals, Academic, and Research Institutions Constituency
• Non-Governmental Organizations
• Private Sector and Private Foundations
• United Nations Agencies and Global Financing Mechanisms PMNCH is hosted by the World Health Organization, based in Geneva.