Public Event: Dying for Life, Are Mothers Still a Global Health Priority?

27 November 2023 | Organizers : The International Geneva Global Health Platform, Concept Foundation, Geneva Health Forum, The Gender Centre of the Geneva Graduate Institute and GENDRO

The event raised critical questions about the prioritization of maternal health and the potential impact on global health priorities from a gender lens and as a question of gender equality, discussing why despite the preventability of PPH-related deaths, progress has stagnated. The forum, following the recent launch of a Global Roadmap by WHO and partners, delved into examining gender, health, and leadership, addressing the persisting challenges in global efforts to combat PPH-related maternal mortality. The perspectives of care from the field, including insights from a midwife from the Philippines, amplified the priorities and highlighted how supporting the women’s health agenda and investing in women’s groups and agencies can have a notable impact.  

Learn more about this event here.

Watch the event here.

Public event: The Launch of the Lancet Commission on Women, Power, and Cancer   

27 September 2023 | The Lancet, The National Cancer Institute, ecancer, GENDRO, and the Gender Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute 

The Global Launch of the Commission report on Women, Power, and Cancer, was co-hosted by GENDRO, alongside other partners, at the Geneva Graduate Institute. The report investigates the intersection of women, power, and cancer, beyond the scope of “women’s cancers” and explores various aspects of cancer experiences among women, considering factors such as gender bias and discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.   The Lancet Commission’s approach is firmly grounded in intersectional feminism. This framework places women’s concerns, voices, and needs at the core of its work. Importantly, this approach doesn’t exclude men but aims to generate evidence that truly reflects the complexity and diversity of women’s experiences.  

The launch event featured presentations of key findings and recommendations, by Dr Ophira Ginsburg, NICC, Lead Commissioner, aimed at inspiring real-world action for transformational change. Following her, Dr Shirin Heidari, president of GENDRO and a commissioner to the report, offered remarks on the critical contribution of the intersectional feminist approach to advancing cancer research, prevention, diagnosis and care. She emphasized the need to bring feminism back into conversations about health, especially cancer. Feminism can serve as a powerful lens through which to examine health disparities, and strive for social change and justice. 

Distinguished speakers joining the panels, included Ophira Ginsburg, Shirin Heidari, Isabelle Soerjomataram, Verna Vanderpuye, Nirmala Bhoo-Pathy, Somesh Kumar, Jennifer Moodley, Karla Unger-Saldaña, Jérôme Salomon, Monica Bertagnolli, Kalipso Chalkidou, Lynette Denny, Bente Mikkelsen, and Micaela Serafini facilitated by Vania Coelho Wisdom and Richard Horton, The Lancet.

Event website: here.  

Recording: (Embed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QFGdyGJD_0  

Commission Report: here

The Commission website: https://womenandcancercommission.org