Financing for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health in a time of austerity

Name: Financing for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health in a time of austerity
Start: 2026-09-22T15:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-09-22T16:30:00-04:00
Location: United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 4

The Global Leaders Network for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health is convening a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly to sustain political momentum for women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health at a moment of unprecedented financing pressure. The meeting will bring together GLN member Heads of State and Government, and key strategic partners from governments, global health institutions, the health financing sector, multilateral institutions and civil society.

The meeting takes place against a backdrop of historic contraction in global health financing. Official development assistance fell by 23.1 percent in 2025, the largest decline on record, and is projected to decrease by a further 5.8 percent in 2026. These reductions have disproportionately affected low-income and fragile countries that remain heavily dependent on external assistance. Global health investment could decline by as much as 40 percent, representing an estimated loss of USD 10 billion. At the same time, more than 3.3 billion people live in countries that spend more on debt servicing than on health or education, limiting governments’ ability to invest in essential services.

GLN members have expressed their desire to highlight the consequences for women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health. The central challenge is no longer only mobilizing additional resources, but ensuring that existing resources are allocated, protected and used effectively to deliver measurable improvements in maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health outcomes. This meeting will create space for the GLN membership to share new ventures and mobilise global solidarity behind national priorities

The meeting is guided by the following objectives:

Accountability: Review progress against commitments made by GLN member states and identify implementation bottlenecks affecting WCAH financing and service delivery.
Policy Action: Generate concrete policy commitments to strengthen domestic resource mobilization, improve efficiency of health expenditure, expand fiscal space, and protect investments in WCAH
Implementation: Promote practical country-led solutions that demonstrate how financing reforms are translating into improved health outcomes and stronger health systems.
Partnership Alignment: Secure commitments from multilateral institutions, donors and development partners to align financing and technical assistance behind nationally owned priorities and plans.