The G20 countries are home to two-thirds of the global population and the actions they take collectively have a global scale.
The G20 must act now to improve the health of women, children, and adolescents and tackle preventable loss of life.
Firstly, G20 countries must prioritise increased cross-cutting financing to strengthen health systems, enhance access to essential health services, and address the social determinants of health, such as poverty and gender inequality.
Secondly, numerous countries are struggling to maintain pre-pandemic levels of health spending. That is affecting women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health worldwide.
Global efforts are required to help countries strengthen their health systems by attracting more development assistance for health and finding sustainable solutions to alleviate debt burdens.
Thirdly, we need robust data systems to monitor and implement policies and programmes effectively. Given that G20 countries account for approximately 85 percent of global GDP, two-thirds of the global population and carry significant political influence, they are well positioned to advance research and the development of new and improved health technologies and vaccines.
When investing in these areas and making decisions, it is essential to meaningfully engage women, children, and adolescents.
Fourthly, investing in the early years of childhood is vitally important, including in family-friendly policies and universal social protection.
Such investments can boost cognitive capital—the complete set of intellectual skills, primarily nurtured prenatally and in early childhood, that determines human capabilities—leading to inclusive economic growth.
Tackling youth unemployment across the G20 requires developing adolescents’ skills, such as digital literacy, and building technology-driven and environmentally conscious growth.
The G20 must prioritise the health and well-being of women, children, and adolescents by making it a permanent fixture on its agenda for action.
That requires dedicated, enhanced, and sustained financing, as well as more global coordination and solidarity so that no woman, child, adolescent, or country is left behind.
The health and well-being of women, children and adolescents are essential for sustainable economic growth. This cannot be optimised without strong G20 leadership.
Kant is India's G20 Sherpa.
Clark is board chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) and former PM of New Zealand.
