Yesterday, on the United Nations International Day of Peace, I arrived in New York City for the 80th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week and was honoured to open with speaking at the World Health Organization’s Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) High-Level Roundtable on Safeguarding Progress for Adolescent Girls in a Shifting Global Landscape.

In my remarks, I emphasised that while peace is fostered through dialogue among nations, it must also be sustained by investment in health, dignity, education, and opportunity for every adolescent girl. Their wellbeing is integral to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and fostering inclusive societies.

Through The Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s MamaCare360 midwifery-led programmes and our Adolescent Skills & Drills, Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education (PSHE), Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), curriculum in schools and communities, we continue to contribute to adolescent health and life skills education, aligning with the Agenda for Action for Adolescents and demonstrating the impact of community-rooted solutions.

It was also a privilege to connect with Rajat Khosla, Executive Director of PMNCH; Helga Fogstad, former Executive Director of PMNCH and current Director, Health Programme UNICEF; and Flavia Bustreo, former Director-General for Family, Women’s and Children’s Health at WHO and current Chair of Fondation Botnar, whose leadership and partnership continue to strengthen global action for women, children, and adolescents.

Throughout this United Nations General Assembly week, I look forward to continuing to champion the health and rights of women, children, and adolescents, and to working with partners to safeguard progress for future generations.

 

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