The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) was held from Tuesday, 10 September 2024 to Monday, 30 September 2024. During UNGA 79, Unitaid highlighted its commitment to addressing two of the most pressing global health challenges: improving women’s and children’s health and combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). These issues are critical to advancing global health goals, and Unitaid presented innovative tools and strategies to close the access gap to lifesaving health products.
Unitaid’s participation focused on promoting groundbreaking approaches to scale up solutions that address leading causes of death among women, such as pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, and cervical cancer. Through new landscape reports, Unitaid showcased innovative tools and called for collective action to ensure these lifesaving health products reach the women and children most in need.
As the world faces the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, which risks undoing decades of medical progress, Unitaid underscored the need for global cooperation to ensure vital treatments remain effective. AMR disproportionately affects women and children, exacerbating health disparities. Unitaid’s issue brief on AMR and report on drug-resistant infections like gonorrhea outline strategies to curb the spread of resistance and improve access to effective medicines.
One of the key events at UNGA was the high-level ministerial side event, “Safeguarding women’s and children’s health, while fighting antimicrobial resistance”, co-hosted by Unitaid and UNFPA on 25 September 2024. This event brought together political leaders, donor and beneficiary countries, as well as affected communities to discuss innovative approaches to maternal, newborn and child health, and the ongoing fight against AMR.
Unitaid’s Executive Director, Dr. Philippe Duneton, delivered opening remarks, followed by contributions from Ms Marisol Touraine, Chair of Unitaid’s Executive Board, who moderated the Ministerial panel ‘Addressing the equitable access gap: innovations to protect women and children’s health and address antimicrobial resistance.’ Panelists included H.E. Commissioner Youngmee Jee, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Republic of Korea, H.E. Dr Mónica García Gómez, Minister of Health, Spain and H.E. Dr Austin Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone.
Following this, the Partners panel ‘Building a responsive ecosystem that protects women’s and children’s health’ was moderated by Mr. Ayman Abdelmohsen, Chief of the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Branch, Programme Division, UNFPA. Panelists included Ms Carol Nawina, Executive Director of CITAMplus and Affected Communities Board Member, Mr Luc Laviolette, Head of Secretariat of the Global Financing Facility (GFF), Dr Malin Grape, Global AMR Ambassador from Sweden and Mr Aurélien Lechevallier, Director General for Globalization, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France.
Throughout UNGA 79, Unitaid emphasized the need for strong political commitment and international cooperation to accelerate access to quality, affordable health tools that protect the most vulnerable populations. By working with partners, Unitaid seeks to advance global health outcomes, ensuring that women’s lives are safeguarded and that the fight against AMR remains a priority for future generations.
Below is the program of sessions and events that featured Unitaid’s work or where Unitaid actively participated:
Program:
Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting
Monday, 23 September 2024, 11:00 – 12:15
Organizer: Clinton Foundation
“Blended finance in health care: Unlocking new frontiers”
Monday, 23 September 2024, 12:00 – 14:00
Organizers: Devex, Vodafone Foundation and MSD
“Solutions and strategies for an evolving future” – Roundtable discussion on climate and health
Monday, 23 September 2024, 12:15 – 13:30
Organizer: Clinton Foundation
“Combating climate change and its impact on ending TB”
Monday, 23 September 2024, 14:00 – 16:30
Organizers: World Health Organization and Ministry of Health of Brazil
Inaugural meeting of the Champions of the Global Alliance for Women’s Health
Monday, 23 September 2024, 16:30 – 18:00
Organizer: World Economic Forum and the Global Alliance for Women’s Health
Annual Goalkeepers Awards 2024
Monday, 23 September 2024, 16:45 – 19:00
Organizer: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the Global Alliance for Women’s Health
Tuesday, 24 September 2024, 13:00 – 15:00
Organizer: World Economic Forum
Eliminating cervical cancer: All steps at a time
Tuesday, 24 September 2024, 14:00 – 16:00
Organizers: Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and Unitaid
“Impact investing for global health: Triple I progress & forward look”
Tuesday, 24 September 2024, 14:00 – 19:00
Organizer: Impact Investment Initiative for Global Health (Triple I for GH)
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“Health on the horizon: Preparing for an uncertain future” – Clinton Global Initiative executive roundtable with Chelsea Clinton
Tuesday, 24 September 2024, 15:00 – 16:30
Organizer: Clinton Foundation
“Racing against antimalarial resistance: Driving global action to support national response efforts”
Wednesday, 25 September 2024, 7:30 – 9:30
Organizer: Malaria No More, Medicines for Malaria Venture, RBM Partnership to End Malaria, PMI, UN Foundation and Impact Santé Afrique
“Safeguarding women’s and children’s health, while fighting antimicrobial resistance”
Wednesday, 25 September 2024, 18:00 – 20:00
Organizer: Unitaid and UNFPA
Additional resources:
- Issue brief: About Unitaid – Saving lives faster
- Issue brief: Antimicrobial resistance
- Issue brief: Cervical cancer
- Issue brief: Climate and health
- Issue brief: Regional manufacturing
- Issue brief: Women’s and children’s health
- Landscape report: Screening and treatment of precancerous lesions for secondary prevention of cervical cancer
- Landscape report: The medical oxygen innovation landscape
- Report: The untold story of dolutegravir: When climate impact goes hand in hand with access to better treatments
- Report: From milligrams to megatons: A climate and nature assessment of 10 key health products
Related news:
- New Unitaid report calls for more effective, affordable gonorrhea diagnostics to address rising infections and antimicrobial resistance
- Donor statement on urgent action required to address antimalarial drug resistance
- Unitaid launches report on tools and interventions for diagnosis and management of pre-eclampsia, a major driver of maternal mortality
- Partnership critical to reducing maternal mortality, says Sierra Leonean Minister of Health, welcoming Unitaid report
- Unitaid unveils new report on technologies to prevent cervical cancer
- Unitaid announces new funding opportunity for children with severe anemia
- WHO recommendations will improve treatment for drug-resistant TB
- Call for Expression of Interest (EOI): Strengthening regional manufacturing for therapeutics
- Unitaid and Jhpiego will reach more women with lifesaving bleeding treatment
- Unitaid to support African production of HIV, malaria, and PPH medicines
We appreciated engaging with global stakeholders at UNGA 79. Moving forward, Unitaid will continue to lead efforts to ensure equitable access to lifesaving health innovations, particularly for women and children, and to curb the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.