IN FOCUS: RMNCH & UN September 2011
12-22 SEPTEMBER 2011 | NEW YORK
PMNCH:Gender responsive approaches to NCD's
A Panel Discussion on PMNCH event: Gender Responsive Approaches to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
Conference Room 7, UN Headquarters, New York
8:15 - 9:45 AM, Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Co-hosted by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, with the Gender, Diversity & Human Rights Office of PAHO, NCD Alliance, Commonwealth Secretariat
As the world accelerates progress on NCDs, this side event brought together UN agencies, governments, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and the private sector to build awareness and consensus on how to integrate gender into NCD responses.
The high profile panel explored the different dimensions associated with NCDs for men and women and the gender-related disparities in NCD treatment outcomes. The panelists, drawn from Mexico, Nicaragua, Trinidad and Tobago, and Rwanda discussed gender-integrated approaches to NCDs and provide recommendations to change NCD policies and interventions to respond to the specific needs of men and women. The event provided practical solutions and best practice examples for governments.
The global NCD epidemic is a gender, health and development issue. Gender roles and norms can greatly affect exposure to risk factors and health outcomes of the four major NCDs - cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. Socioeconomic, legal and political status influence vulnerability to NCDs, particularly for women and girls. Attitudes towards seeking healthcare can influence men’s likelihood of early diagnosis. Conversely, men and boy’s greater involvement in sports can protect against obesity-related NCDs.
A main message explored in the discussions is that gender must be an integral component to all NCD strategies, policies and programmes to ensure the human right of universal access to NCD prevention and treatment programmes. Particular attention needbe paid to the reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health continuum of care, which provides important opportunities to prevent, diagnose and treat NCDs.
Co-Chairs
- Dr Carole Presern Director of The Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health
- Ann Keeling CEO of the International Diabetes Federation and Chair of the NCD Alliance
- Ransford Smith Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat
Panelists
- Dr Aurora Del Rio Deputy General Director of Gender Equity, Ministry of Health, Mexico
- Yvonne Lewis Director Health Education Division, Ministry of Health, Trinidad and Tobago
- Dr Carolina Valle Gender and Health Consultant, Pan-American Health Organization, Nicaragua
- Dr Agnes Binagwaho Minister of Health, Rwanda (TBC)