Without Healthy Women and Girls, No Nation Can Achieve its Full Potential

Statement from Mary A. Pittman, CEO and President, Public Health Institute

“The Public Health Institute applauds the statement issued by the Office of Global Women’s Issues at the State Department on July 3, reaffirming that women and girls’ empowerment is a key goal of US Foreign Policy.  Gender equality, and the advancement of the status of women and girls, must be part of all diplomatic engagement, foreign assistance programming and partnerships with civil society and the private sector.

“Public Health Institute and its programs have been supporting gender equality and empowerment of women and girls for decades—focusing not just on addressing health issues, but on supporting the factors that create stronger, more resilient and more empowered women and girls.  PHI’s programs focus on a full range of interventions for women and girls: from creating more access to education and leadership opportunities, to ending child marriage, to building reproductive health and access to better contraception.

“PHI’s global health programs focused on women and girls include Let Girls Lead, GOJoven, Coalition Advancing Multipurpose Innovations, Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS and What Works for Women and Girls in HIV/AIDS.   Let Girls Lead invests in visionary local leaders and organizations advocating for laws, policies, programs, and funding to ensure that girls can attend school, stay healthy, overcome violence, and escape poverty.  GOJoven mobilizes youth leaders to improve sexual and reproductive health and protect sexual and reproductive rights by reducing adolescent pregnancy, eliminating gender-based violence and eradicating sexual discrimination throughout the Mesoamerican region.

“CAMI is organizing global efforts to produce women-centered reproductive health technologies that improve prevention of multiple health risks including unintended pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted infections.   GYCA advocates for the rights of women and girls to ensure access to critical information, services, and support about their sexual and reproductive health, including HIV. What Works for Women and Girls in HIV/AIDS just released a new study and report underscoring the state department’s findings: that keeping a girl in school, is among the best strategies for protecting her from HIV.  Other PHI global health programs target specific individuals at health risk, including gay and transgender women and girls.

“Women and girls are key populations in international development. Without healthy women and girls, there is no way any nation can achieve its full potential. ”