Gender plays a key role in determining health and well-being across the lifecourse. The Global Health 50/50’s report Power, Privilege and Priorities published today provides the only birds-eye view of gender and equality in the global health system.
9 March 2020
Gender plays a key role in determining health and well-being across the lifecourse. The Global Health 50/50’s report Power, Privilege and Priorities published today provides the only birds-eye view of gender and equality in the global health system. The report reviews the gender-related policies and practices of 200 organisations, including the Medicines Patent Pool which has been listed as a high scorer on gender equality.
The report presents data highlighting two major inequalities that impede progress towards the health-related United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): inequality of opportunity in career pathways inside global health organisations, and inequality of benefits from the global health system.
The report notes some progress towards gender equality, for instance, the number of organisations with public policies to advance gender equality in the workplace increased by 25% in two years and the proportion of women board chairs jumped from 20% to 26%. Progress is still needed regarding gender balance in senior leadership positions, moving past power asymmetries which see high-income countries continuing to hold disproportionate power in leadership and in setting health agendas, and an end to systematic neglect of certain health conditions,.
Read the report
Access MPP’s final scoring
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The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to and facilitate the development of life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries. Through its innovative business model, MPP partners with civil society, governments, international organisations, industry, patient groups, and other stakeholders to prioritise and license needed medicines and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations.
To date, MPP has signed agreements with 22 patent holders for 13 HIV antiretrovirals, one HIV technology platform, three hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals, a tuberculosis treatment, a cancer treatment, four long-acting technologies, a post-partum haemorrhage medicine, three oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 and 16 COVID-19 technologies.
MPP was founded by Unitaid, which continues to be MPP’s main funder. MPP’s work on access to essential medicines is also funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Government of Canada, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Government of Flanders. MPP’s activities in COVID-19 are undertaken with the financial support of the Japanese Government, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the German Agency for International Cooperation, and SDC.