Paolo De Renzio, International Budget Partnership
Nolan, A., R. O’Connell and C. Harvey (eds.) (2013). Human Rights and Public Finance. Budgets and the Promotion of Economic and Social Rights. Portland, OR: Hart Publishing.
Balakrishnan, R. and D. Elson (eds.) (2011). Economic Policy and Human Rights. Holding Governments to Account. London and New York: Zed Books.
The words ‘public finance’ and ‘government budget’ tend to call to mind images of men in grey suits, large books full of numbers and a sense of boredom. Yet, raising and spending public resources is among the most important and influential functions that governments play, and one that has important consequences on people’s well-being, including how much tax they pay and what services they get. In general, public debates around public finance and government budgets focus on dry arguments about levels of public debt and fiscal deficits, the possible reactions of financial markets to government policies, and the impact that such policies will have on economic growth. It’s no mystery, then, that regular citizens are usually not active and engaged in such debates, despite the impact that choices made during the budget process can have on their everyday lives. Just think of the austerity policies adopted by – or imposed on – a large number of governments in the aftermath of the global financial crisis that started about a decade ago, and their impact on levels of poverty and inequality.
As nations commit to achieving universal health coverage by 2030, there is a growing acknowledgement that access to services is not enough. Improvement in health care delivery requires a deliberate focus on the quality of health services, which involves providing effective, safe, people-centered care that is timely, equitable, integrated and efficient.
This first-ever joint global report from World Health Organization (WHO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Bank Group makes clear that poor quality health services are holding back progress on improving health in countries at all income levels.
SEXISM: SEE IT…NAME IT…STOP IT!
Sexism is any expression (act, word, image, gesture) based on the idea that some persons, most often women, are inferior because of their sex.
Sexism is harmful.
It produces feelings of worthlessness, self-censorship, changes in behaviour, and a deterioration in health.
Sexism lies at the root of gender inequality.
It affects women and girls disproportionately.
WHO/Malin Bring
This year marks 25 years since countries committed to intensify their efforts towards women’s empowerment and gender equality through the Beijing Platform for Action. Today, we mark International Women’s Day 2020 and focus attention on the impact of gender equality on women’s health in the WHO European Region throughout their lives.
Europe has some of the highest levels of gender equality in the world, but progress has been slow and many differences between countries remain. According to existing gender equality indexes, no Member State has achieved full equality. Gender inequalities impact women’s health in many ways.
© UNICEF/Jannatul Mawa. Women in Bangladesh stand up for gender equality.
Gender equality: Women’s rights in review 25 years after Beijing
March 5, 2020 - The reality finds faltering progress and notes that hard-won advances are being reversed by rampant inequality, climate change, conflict and exclusionary politics.
The review highlights a lack of effective action to boost women’s representation in key decision-making and warns that the Platform will never be realized if all women and girls are not acknowledged and prioritized.
