Dr Natalia Kanem, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Mark Lowcock, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
In a week in which people in some parts of the world have been given cause for optimism that they have passed the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen how the extraordinary actions of individuals can change the trajectory for a whole nation.
Retired doctors putting themselves back on the front line, nurses making their own face masks so they can treat the sick, parents separated from their children so they can care for people suffering from the virus.
More often than not, these are women. Globally, women make up 70 per cent of the health workforce. They also have the majority of caregiving roles in homes and in communities. Women do this essential work in spite of obstacles and inequalities.
That’s why our updated Global Humanitarian Response Plan to fight coronavirus, published on 7 May, has women at its heart. We know from experience that investing in women and girls produces dividends for all. We see that again with COVID-19.
