Safeguarding and Advancing SRHR in Universal Health Coverage: On the Road to the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on UHC

Anti-gender movements and the COVID-19 pandemic have deepened existing challenges to realizing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Universal health coverage can help overcome these barriers, but only with an intersectional lens that centers girls and women in all their identities. The discussion will highlight why strengthened prioritization of SRHR must happen now, as the foundation is being laid for the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage.

This is a virtual UNGA 76 side event hosted by the Alliance for Gender Equality and UHC

Interpretation in English, French, and Spanish; auto closed-captioning in English.

Michelle Remme (Moderator)
Deputy Director @United Nations University International Institute for Global Health
@DrMichelleRemme Dr. Michelle Remme (she/her) is Deputy Director at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, where she leads the Gender and Health Hub. She is a health economist with over fifteen years of experience as a researcher and policy advisor in global health, having worked in academia, the UN system, donor development cooperation and private consulting. Prior to joining UNU, she served as Assistant Professor in Health Economics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She conducts research and provides policy advice on topics related to the economics and financing of health programmes, health systems and gender-responsive health interventions.

Helen Clark
Former Prime Minister of New Zealand; Women Deliver Board Member @Women Deliver

@HelenClarkNZ Helen Clark (she/her) was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1999–2008. As Prime Minister, and as a Member of Parliament over 27 years, Helen engaged widely in policy development and advocacy across the international, economic, social, environmental, and cultural spheres. She advocated strongly for New Zealand’s comprehensive program on sustainability and for tackling the problems of climate change. She was an active leader of her country’s foreign relations, engaging in a wide range of international issues. Helen was Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009-2017, where she led UNDP to be ranked the most transparent global development organisation. She was also Chair of the United Nations Development Group. Helen continues to be a strong voice for sustainable development, climate action, gender equality and women’s leadership, peace and justice, and action on non-communicable diseases and on HIV.

Dumiso (Dumi) Gatsha
Founder/Advisory Group Member @Success Capital Organisation/Civil Society Engagement Mechanism for UHC2030 (CSEM)

@ProSuccessBW Dumiso (Dumi) Gatsha (they/them) is a proudly Pan African and unequivocally non-binary queer feminist working on eliminating the barriers between grassroots experiences and global policymaking. Dumi is the Founder of Success Capital Organisation, a queer, youth, feminist-led, managed and serving grassroots organisation working within Botswana’s community health system on HIV, SRHR, and GBV responses. In particular, Dumi campaigns for period dignity, safe abortion and socioeconomic equity beyond binaries. Dumi has previously consulted with V-Dem Institute, Botswana Council of NGOs, UNDP Botswana and CIVICUS World Alliance, among others. Dumi is an advisory group member of the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism for UHC2030 (CSEM), Member of the African Queer Youth Initiative, International Member Representative of Amnesty International, and Vice Chair of Gender DynamiX (RSA), among other voluntary roles.

Veloshnee Govender
Scientist, Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research @World Health Organization (WHO)

@HRPresearch Veloshnee Govender (she/her) is a health economist with health policy and systems expertise in the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (WHO, Geneva). Veloshnee also holds an honorary senior lecturer post in the Health Economics Unit (University of Cape Town, South Africa). Prior experiences include the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (WHO, Geneva), Health Economics Unit, and Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore, India). Her areas of work include health system strengthening and gender and equity issues in the context of sexual and reproductive health and rights and TB/HIV/AIDS.

Jagadishwor (Jagadish) Ghimire
Deputy Country Director @Ipas Nepal

@JagadishGhimre Jagadishwor (Jagadish) Ghimire (he/him) is a Development Practitioner in Nepal with 14+ years of experience in health systems focusing on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Jagadish holds a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) and Master of Arts in Sociology (MA), and is currently a MPhil Fellow in Population Studies. Jagadish is the Deputy Country Director for Ipas Nepal, where he leads the implementation of project activities focusing on SRHR, gender based violence prevention and response, and climate justice and SRHR. Jagadish has also worked for UNFPA Nepal as a Family Planning Advisor, CARE Nepal as Health Program Coordinator focusing on SRHR and GBV, Family Planning Association of Nepal/IPPF as a Chief of Party for USAID’s Support for international Family Planning Organizations, and with Population Services International (PSI) Nepal as Head of Program implementation, among others.

Milanya T. Jackline
Program Officer in charge of Community Empowerment @Kenya Female Advisory Organization (KEFEADO)

@milanyakipusa Milanya T. Jackline (she/her) is an African feminist and is the Program Officer in charge of Community Empowerment at Kenya Female Advisory Organization (KEFEADO). Milanya is passionate about advocacy for gender equality, reproductive health and rights, and economic empowerment, especially for adolescent girls and young women and including those with disabilities. She has been recognized by the East Africa Young Women Leadership Institute (EAYWLI) and is a trained facilitator on Looking in Looking Out (LILO) Sexual Identity and Human Right and on Sexuality and Spirituality under the Hearts Set of Pilgrimage Kenya Charter. She was part of the team that advocated for quality, friendly and affordable SRHR health care services for the LGBTIQ in Migori and Kisumu in 2015.

Dr. Guna Nidhi Sharma
Senior Health Administrator and Policy and Planning Section Chief @Government of Nepal, Ministry of Health and Population

@dr_gunish @mohpnep Dr. Guna Nidhi Sharma (he/him) (MPH, Virije University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and MBBS, Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj Campus) is a Senior Health Administrator and the Policy and Planning Section Chief at the Nepal Ministry of Health and Population. He has engaged in formulation of the National Health Policy 2019, the 15th Periodic Plan 2019-2023 and the Health Financing Strategy. He is a core technical team member at the ministry to respond COVID-19 pandemic and directly involved in developing more than 50 COVID-related strategic and technical documents. Dr. Guna’s main responsibilities are engaging in development of national level policies, strategies and plans aligning with constitutional mandate and international commitments such as the SDGs. He has more than 16 years of experience in national and international organizations. Dr. Guna recently received a prestigious national award by the Right Honorable President of Nepal.

Safeguarding and Advancing SRHR in Universal Health Coverage: On the Road to the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on UHC