While global health has advanced considerably over the last decades, women and girls – particularly in low- and middle-income countries – continue to face significant barriers, as their specific health needs are often overlooked. Now, a wave of global funding cuts threatens to widen this gap, putting millions at risk. Ahead of International Women’s Day, Unitaid reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that women and girls have access to high quality health products and services that address their full range of health needs.
Our work spans infectious diseases and maternal and newborn health, addressing the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among women. In collaboration with governments and global partners, our investments aim to expand access to critical tools for prevention, diagnosis and treatment across women’s health, improving health outcomes and making health systems more efficient and cost-effective.
“As we face this global health funding crisis, investing in better health for women and girls is more important than ever,” said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director at Unitaid. “By ensuring access to comprehensive, integrated care, we have the potential to dramatically reduce the leading causes of death in young women in Africa. The solutions exist, but without urgent action and increased funding, millions will be left behind. We must prioritize women and turn commitments into action.”
Women, girls and marginalized groups face a disproportionate risk from HIV and other preventable diseases, yet access to essential healthcare remains inadequate. Every week, more than 4,000 adolescent girls and young women are newly infected with HIV, with those in sub-Saharan Africa three times more likely to contract the virus than their male peers. Compounding this, women living with HIV face a six-fold higher risk of cervical cancer, with 90% of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
Ensuring that women and girls have access to effective prevention methods is key to reducing new HIV infections, improving health outcomes and giving them greater control over their health. We have long championed the expansion of proven prevention options such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), ensuring that young women have a range of choices that fit their lifestyles and needs. From daily pills to long-acting injections, we are supporting innovative approaches that empower individuals with effective prevention methods.
One of the most promising developments in PrEP is lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable that has shown 100% efficacy in preventing new HIV infections amongst women and girls in clinical trials, including for pregnant and breastfeeding women. This means lenacapavir could play a critical role in protecting women from acquiring HIV during this period, and therefore prevent infants from acquiring HIV, directly supporting our broader efforts to eliminate the transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and Chagas disease from mothers to their children. By investing in health innovations and integrating them into existing health services, we are supporting countries in their mission to safeguard the health of future generations.
Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of death among women, but early screening and treatment can significantly reduce its impact. We are committed to the World Health Organization’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative, expanding sustainable screening and treatment programs across 14 countries on three continents. By integrating innovative tools such as HPV tests and battery-powered thermal ablation devices into national health systems and decentralizing services, we are making cervical cancer prevention more accessible and affordable, ensuring that women in low-resource settings receive timely, effective care.
Ensuring safe pregnancy and childbirth is another pillar of our work. Nearly 95% of maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, often due to preventable complications such as postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia and eclampsia, and anemia. Unitaid is working to integrate essential maternal health products into antenatal care platforms, ensuring that women have access to the health products they need, when and where they need them. We are investing in affordable, high-quality screening and diagnostic tools, treatments and preventive medicines to address the primary causes of maternal mortality and exploring opportunities to improve quality antenatal care. By strengthening maternal care and expanding access to lifesaving innovations, we are building a healthier future for women worldwide.
The challenges ahead are significant, but solutions are within reach. Scaling up prevention tools, strengthening health systems and ensuring sustainable investments in women’s health are crucial. Governments face numerous urgent priorities and budget constraints, but prioritizing women’s health strengthens communities and economies, while ensuring no one is left behind.
We will continue working with governments, partners and communities to ensure that every woman and girl can live a healthy life free from the burden of preventable diseases. Now is the time to act – women and girls cannot wait.
About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health organization that saves lives by making new health products available and affordable for people in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid works with partners to identify innovative treatments, tests and tools, help tackle the market barriers that are holding them back, and get them to the people who need them most – fast. Since Unitaid was created in 2006, the organization has unlocked access to more than 100 groundbreaking health products to help address the world’s biggest health challenges, including HIV, TB and malaria; women’s and children’s health; and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Every year, more than 300 million people benefit from the products Unitaid has helped roll out. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization. www.unitaid.org
