How are inequality and discrimination shaping data about COVID-19, and who is being left invisible and uncounted? On the launch of her new book on data and human rights, Sara (Meg) Davis speaks to social worker and rights activist Jolovan Wham in Singapore, who describes how thousands of migrant workers are being detained in overcrowded dorms, and were missed by the official mobile contact tracing app. In Geneva, Dr. Shirin Heidari (GENDRO) and Marina Smelyanskaya (Stop TB Partnership) address the global need for feminist principles and respect for human rights to gather data on COVID-19. Davis’ new book, The Uncounted: Politics of Data in Global Health is available from Cambridge University Press.
The side event featured speakers including Shirin Heidari, Haja Ramatulai Wurie, Michelle Mclsaac, Sneha Krishnan, and Roopa Dhatt. They addressed various issues concerning women health workers, who constitute 70% of the total health workforce. Among the main issues raised were assaults on women health workers, the need to prioritize mental health and psychosocial support for health workers at all levels, challenges faced by women health workers due to prolonged wearing of PPE without sufficient breaks, the dearth of data on women, and the necessity to generate both quantitative and qualitative gender data to comprehend the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shirin Heidari emphasized the imbalance in health research resources and publications, which are predominantly produced and published by men, leading to greater visibility for their expertise. She stressed the importance of engaging men in conversations to address the gender data gap. The session concluded by emphasizing the imperative to focus on building resilient health systems, emphasizing the importance of supporting the health workforce and creating equitable environments for their support.
Speakers Shirin Heidari, Anna Ruggieri, Catherine Nyambura, Ricardo Baruch, and Stephen Burrell participated in a webinar hosted by GENDRO in collaboration with the Think Tank Hub, Geneva. The webinar aimed to explore the COVID-19 crisis from a unique perspective by examining the role of sex and gender data in pandemics.
During the discussion, the speakers emphasized the issues and gaps apparent in gender-inclusive data collection and research amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. They highlighted the necessity of making gender more visible in pandemic responses and stressed the importance of learning from past experiences to adopt a more inclusive approach towards all communities.
Speakers Aurelia Nguyen, Clara Mathieu Gotch, Lucica Ditiu, Marijka Wijnroks, Sanne Wendes, and Shirin Heidari participated in a panel discussion titled “Women in power: Challenging gender inequality in Global Health and beyond: A conversation with female leaders,” organized by GENDRO to commemorate International Women’s Day 2020. The event took place at the Global Health Campus and was also live-streamed.
During the discussion, the panelists highlighted various aspects where gender equality gaps persist and emphasized the importance of pushing forward to achieve recognition and acceptance in society. They underscored the need for concerted efforts to address gender inequality in the field of global health and beyond.
The 9th Global Forum on Health Promotion, 9GFHP was organised in collaboration with the WHO and was held on 12 November 2019.
The Global Forum held annually since 2011 provides a platform for key stakeholders from government, NGOs, private sector, academia and other civil society organisations to address current challenges and opportunities of Health Promotion. as well as set the agenda for research, advocacy and action. It is an opportunity for knowledge-sharing intended for everyone involved in promoting healthy lives, for learning from one another and building understanding around best practices.
This unique event provided a platform for dialogue between more than 100 participants to explore how, by working together, health promotion strategies can best contribute to moving forward the global health agenda and translate global declarations into actions and impact.
