Sitting with the women under the trees.

Abstract

Q: After more than ten years working with the United Nations in Africa, what motivated you to take the position of General Secretary of the World YWCA? A: My work with the United Nations involved both the heavy political space of peace negotiations and the development space. I had great positional power but I felt that I was missing the power of the people, of being able to speak without always worrying about what this or that government thinks. I was looking for space where I could talk about what women want, with my only accountability being to the women. I wanted to sit with the women under the trees and still do global policy work. I've always been passionate about social justice issues. I feel that in my position at YWCA that I can talk to the president of a country and say: Mr President, I do not like what is happening in this village for these women so can we think about this again together? Q: What was your reaction to the announcement of the Global Strategy far Women's and Children's Health and the pledge of US$ 40 billion at the United Nations Leaders' Summit for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2010? A: There is a bundle of indicators and targets that are so pertinent to development but which haven't received the necessary level of political or financial investment. The launch of the Global Strategy was a very important outcome from the MDG Summit. At last, maternal health is starting to attract some attention. Working in a global organization that talks about women and health every day, the question that civil society asked was: Now that the governments have met, is there going to be There was a lot of excitement about the US$ 40 billion but a pledge is a not a pledge until the words have been translated into implementable action. Q: Do you think that the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health can trans late those words into action? A: Yes, I do. The Commission has identified critical indicators and outlined practical outcomes and development tools to help countries to prioritize actions. The composition of the Commission was good as it allowed input from governments at the highest level, experts from different sectors, a good representation from civil society, women's organizations and youth networks. As a commissioner, I felt that I could talk about what policies and interventions would mean for communities, at the same time as having a clear understanding of the global space and an appreciation of the complexities of international development. My philosophy of working is to always ask: how does it affect the woman in the village? My little contribution is to represent the voices of women from the communities. Q: What changes would you like to see in the approach to women's health as a result of the Global Strategy? A: The Strategy talks about women's health as beneficiaries of services, not as decision-makers and leaders in health. We need more focus on allowing women to contribute their knowledge, perspectives and ideas. They already contribute so much both in the health workforce and as citizens. And women's health is not just maternal health and their reproductive role. There is a range of issues beyond maternal health that remain on the periphery yet which are important. For example, mental health and violence against women. In many countries, there is the notion that the head of the household is generally male so he does the apportionment of the household income, no matter who earns it. From the household level right up to the finance minister, women don't have sufficient space or opportunity to be involved in decision-making of resource allocation. There has to be gender-responsible budgeting across the entire budget. We should be asking what percentage of the national budget is going to health and, of that, what percentage is going to essential health priorities for women? …