Conflict, climate crisis, threaten fragile gains to advance women and children’s health

25 September 2020

Women?UN

Fragile gains?made over the past decade to advance women and children’s health are threatened by conflict, the climate crisis and COVID-19, according to a new report from?Every Woman Every Child, released on Friday.

Protect the Progress:?Rise, Refocus, Recover, 2020?highlights?that since the movement was launched 10 years ago,?spearheaded?by then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, there has been remarkable progress in improving the health of the world’s women, children and adolescents, with under-five deaths reached an all-time recorded low in 2019, and more than 1 billion children were vaccinated over the past decade.

spearhead /?sp??hed/ ?1. 先鋒；前鋒；先頭部隊(duì)2. to begin an activity or lead an attack against sb/sth 做…的先鋒；帶頭做；領(lǐng)先突擊??He is spearheading a campaign for a new stadium in the town. 他正發(fā)起一項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)，呼吁在城里新建一座體育場(chǎng)。

Coverage of immunization, skilled birth attendant and access to safe drinking water reached over 80 per cent. Maternal deaths?declined by 35 per cent since 2000, with the most significant declines occurring from 2010. An estimated 25 million child marriages were also prevented over the past decade, says the report.

Maternal death：孕產(chǎn)婦死亡

maternal ?adj. /m??t??nl/ ?母親的；母性的；母系的；母體遺傳的

Prioritize women and girls: UN deputy chief

However, conflict, climate instability and the?COVID-19?pandemic are putting the health and well-being of all children and adolescents at risk. The COVID-19?crisis, in particular, is exacerbating?existing inequities, with reported disruptions in essential health interventions disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable women and children.

exacerbate ?v. /?ɡ?z?s?be?t/ ?使惡化；使加?。皇辜又?? The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 這些癥狀可能會(huì)因?yàn)槟承┧幬锒又亍?/span>

“We know that women and children are the foundation of our communities and of our future”, said UN deputy chief,?Amina Mohammed, in a?video message?broadcast during the report launch online. “Plans to respond to and recover from COVID-19 must prioritize their rights, and ensure continued access to services that support health, access to clean water, nutrition and education.

“While much is still unknown and uncertain, our collective goal endures: for women, children and adolescents everywhere to survive and thrive, and for their lives to be transformed”, added the Deputy Secretary-General.

thrive ?v. /θra?v/ ?興旺發(fā)達(dá)；繁榮；蓬勃發(fā)展；旺盛；茁壯成長(zhǎng)?? New businesses thrive in this area. 新商家在這一地區(qū)蓬勃興起。

THRIVE ON STH 以某事為樂(lè)，因某事而有成（尤指別人不喜歡的事物）?He thrives on hard work. 他以苦干為樂(lè)事 ?

Death ‘every six seconds’

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a child under the age of five died every six seconds somewhere around the world”, said Henrietta Fore, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director.

“Millions of children living in conflict zones and fragile settings?face even greater hardship with the onset of the pandemic. We need to work collectively to meet immediate needs caused by the pandemic while also strengthening health systems. Only then can we protect and save lives.”

fragile setting：setting在這里指地點(diǎn)，fragile setting 在這里就是生活環(huán)境惡劣的地方

Last year,?5.2 million children under the age of 5 and 1 million adolescents died of preventable causes. Every 13 seconds a newborn baby died.?Every hour 33 women did not survive childbirth; and?33,000 girls a day were forced into marriages, usually involving much older men.

The report examines the deep-rooted inequities which continue to deprive women, children and adolescents of their rights, noting that where you are born, is a significant determinant of survival.

“For too long, the health and rights of women, children, and adolescents have received insufficient attention and services have been inadequately resourced”,?said former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Board Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Helen Clark.

“We call on all partners to work together to support governments to strengthen health systems and tackle the inequities that constrain progress.”?

Narrow the gap

The report calls upon the global community to fight COVID-19 while honoring and respecting commitments that can improve the lives of women and children, and not widen the gap between promise and reality.?

“The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to turn back the clock on years of progress in reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health. This is unacceptable,” said Muhammad Ali Pate, Global Director for Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank Group.

“The GFF?partnership will double down on its efforts to engage with partners and countries and honor the global commitment to ensure that all women, adolescents and children can access the quality, affordable health care they need to survive and thrive.”

GFF serves as a coordination platform for policy-makers around the world to tackle health and nutrition issues more effectively, not least by improving donor coordination and increasing the efficiency in the use of domestic and international resources.

The past decade of progress to advance the health of women, children and adolescents must be protected from the impact of the pandemic and the responses to it, the report emphasizes.

“As we respond to COVID-19 and reimagine a better future, with sustained peace, including at home, we must repeat unequivocally?that the rights of women and girls are not negotiable. Even in times of crisis – especially in times of crisis – their sexual and reproductive health and rights must be safeguarded at all costs”, said?Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UN reproductive rights agency,?UNFPA.

unequivocally /??n??kw?v?k?li/ 明確地，不含糊地

原文鏈接：https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1073762