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).
Held under the theme “Recommitting to Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health and Rights: A Call to Action for Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development,” the high-level dialogue comes at a pivotal moment as shrinking development financing, global instability, and intensifying humanitarian crises threaten the health and rights of the world’s most vulnerable groups.
The gathering will drive up the urgency of renewing political momentum and reaffirming WCAH as a cornerstone of global peace, security, and sustainable development.
Key Objectives of the Event:
– Reaffirm WCAH as central to national and global development agendas.
– Mobilise bold political and financial commitments grounded in gender-responsive and equity-based approaches.
– Address the unique needs of women, children, and adolescents in fragile and humanitarian contexts.
– Explore innovative and sustainable financing models to counter declining Official Development Assistance (ODA).
– Strengthen accountability mechanisms through the Global Leadership Network, ensuring continued head-of-state-level commitment.
Event Details
What: Third Heads of State Gathering of the Global Leadership Network (GLN) for WCAH
Who: The GLN, chaired by H.E. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, with participation from Denmark, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, and other member states.
When: 24 September 2025 | Time: 13:15 – 14:30 EST
Where: United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 4.
This convening will bring together heads of state, development partners, and civil society leaders to galvanise action for advancing the health and rights of women, children, and adolescents as a fundamental driver of sustainable development.
Media Contact
Kadi Toure
Communications and Campaigns, PMNCH
[tourek@who.int](mailto:tourek@who.int)+41 79 540 71 23
