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Gervase Barbosa, Director General of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), called for greater support for women in leadership while strengthening the health workforce in the Americas, including the Caribbean, especially in the wake of the negative impact of COVID-19. Called for support. Pandemic.
Ms. Barbosa said on Friday that the high-level dialogue “Women’s Leadership in the Community Health and Resilience Agenda,” is a collaboration between women and women, supported by the Government of Canada and coordinated by the Commission for Women in the Americas of the Organization of American States (CIM/OAS). Organized by the Inter-American Task Force on Leadership.
During an intervention at OAS headquarters in Washington, the PAHO director highlighted the barriers faced by women health workers, which impact not only their economic and social well-being, but also their communities. said.
Ms. Barbosa called for increased representation of women in decision-making forums and stressed the importance of listening to women’s voices.
“We must build fairer, more gender-equitable, resilient and sustainable societies,” he said, stressing that this means “investing in women and their leadership.”
PAHO finds that the World Health Organization (WHO) gender and equity analysis of the global health and social care workforce shows that the gender leadership gap is a result of stereotypes, discrimination, power imbalances and privilege. He pointed out that it was clear.
Furthermore, the WHO said that factors such as race and class combine to compound the disadvantage for women.
In the health sector, women have lower status and are paid less than men, the WHO said. According to the WHO, this pay gap is 26%, higher than in other sectors.
PAHO said it is one of 10 United Nations agencies where women make up more than 50 percent of the workforce.
PAHO further said that equity and gender equality are core values of the organization and are integrated into all policies, programs and technical cooperation activities.
“At PAHO, we are committed to investing in women, and including the voices and perspectives of women and girls in decision-making is essential to building resilient health systems and has a positive impact on health and development. I strongly believe that we will give,” said the PAHO director.
According to PAHO, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro highlighted the organization’s historic commitment to gender equality, as articulated in the Congress and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
She also highlighted the OAS’s pioneering role in promoting gender equality in the Americas over the past almost 100 years through the Inter-American Commission on Women.
The Secretary-General also referred to the normative framework developed by the OAS in the area of women’s rights, which has contributed to thinking about issues as diverse as equality in electoral processes and increased representation of women in positions of power. .
However, despite this progress, Luis Almagro acknowledged that gender inequalities remain in some areas, such as the right to health, which has been particularly evident during the pandemic.
He therefore stressed the need to “adopt a transformative approach” to correct “social structures and norms that perpetuate sexism.”
Dr. Rhonda Seeley-Thomas, PAHO Deputy Director, spoke on a panel discussion on Women’s Participation and Leadership in Community Health Issues: Opportunities and Challenges.
During the panel discussion, PAHO highlighted the organization’s commitment to increasing the representation of women in PAHO leadership positions and empowering women in the region to live productive lives and reach their full potential. He said he did.
For Dr Seeley-Thomas, the 2030 Health Workforce Policy is “crucial as we aim to incorporate a gender perspective into health workforce policy”.
Regarding women’s access to health services, the Deputy Director-General referred to PAHO’s efforts to eliminate cervical cancer and emphasized the importance of improving access to HPV testing and vaccination.
“Through PAHO, countries can improve access to critical tools that save women’s lives, enable them to lead productive lives and reach leadership positions,” she said.
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