The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) prepared these remarks for the United Nations High-Level Meeting to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the 4th World Conference on Women (Beijing+30).
Three decades have passed, yet the spirit and promise of Beijing remain urgent and essential. Achieving gender equality requires health systems and policies that meet the needs of women, girls, and gender diverse people, through civil registration and legal identity, reproductive and maternal health, immunization, nutrition, violence prevention programs and gender-responsive tobacco control efforts, that are equitable and accessible.
But policies alone are not enough. They can only succeed when women, including those from marginalized groups, adolescent girls, and gender diverse people are fully engaged in policymaking and implementation. Their leadership and lived experience must shape the solutions.
This is why investment in civil society capacity and advocacy is critical. Women’s groups and women-led organizations are at the heart of progress, yet they remain underfunded. Supporting them is not optional; it is essential.
We are putting this into practice across our programs. Through our work on civil registration and vital statistics, we strengthen legal identity systems, so women and children are fully recognized. With Immunization, we partner with Gavi to expand vaccine coverage, including HPV. In nutrition, we promote education and access to healthy diets. And through tobacco control, we confront a global epidemic that disproportionately harms women and undermines development.
The thirtieth anniversary of Beijing is more than a commemoration; it is a call to accelerate action. Recommitment requires more than reaffirmation; it demands resources, accountability and solidarity.
We urge governments and multilateral partners to:
- Ensure gender-responsive health policies and programs across all sectors;
- Prioritize investment in civil society capacity and women-led organizations; and
- Address the structural determinants of health that reinforce inequality.
On behalf of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and its Global Health Advocacy Incubator, we stand ready to partner with governments, UN agencies and civil society to realize the vision of Beijing: a world where every woman and girl can live healthy, empowered and free from discrimination.