In advance of Women Deliver 2023, Panorama Strategy connected with UNFPA’s Chief of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), Dr. Willibald Zeck.
Dr. Zeck is passionate about women’s health. Before joining United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), he taught as a Professor in Obstetrics & Gynecology, led the Global Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health Unit at UNICEF, worked as Chief of Health and Nutrition for UNICEF Philippines, and worked clinically as an OBGYN for 10 years in low- and high-income settings.
Given his extensive experience as a sexual and reproductive health advocate, I was excited to sit down with Dr. Zeck for a Q&A before Women Deliver 2023, one of the largest multi-sectoral convenings to advance gender equality.
Q: What are you most excited about for Women Deliver 2023?
For us at UNFPA, sexual and reproductive health is the primary concern. Seven years into the SDGs, it is likely that many of them will not be achieved, if we maintain the current pace. In order to guarantee access to SRHR for all throughout the life course, we must move swiftly and examine the issues, obstacles, and necessary modifications for our course of action towards SRHR for all. This year’s Women Deliver conference will help us to align our actions and identify roles that all of us can play to uphold SRHR everywhere.
It is outrageous that women and girls are still left behind in so many areas, especially in the health sector.
For example, women account for around 70% of the global health and social care workforce. Yet women’s contributions to health and the health labor market remain markedly highly undervalued.
Q: Can you share a recent initiative or advancement in the sexual and reproductive health space that UNFPA has been working on?
The most recent initiative UNFPA has worked on and is very proud of, is a report that was published last week about “Maternal Health of Women and Girls of African Descent in the Americas”. The release of this report was covered by numerous international and local media outlets. It is a crucial topic because we must acknowledge that maternal mortality is stagnating, especially among women and girls of African descent.
[Access the UNFPA report on Maternal Health Analysis of Women and Girls of African Descent in the Americas here.]
Q: Thinking through the theme of Women Deliver 2023 – Spaces, Solidarity, and Solutions – what do you see as an important need for the global community to rally around to achieve advancements in sexual and reproductive health?
The fragmentation of SRHR-related technical fields is one of the most important issues we must address. We must form greater alliances to overcome these fragmentations. Especially when it comes to integration and alignment of family planning, bodily autonomy, and maternal and newborn health, it is important that we speak with one voice. On the 16th of July, we hosted a pre-conference event at Women Deliver in which we emphasized the need for defragmentation and closer collaboration, which will be a critical prerequisite for achieving the SGDs.
Q: What are ways in which the field of sexual and reproductive health can contribute to achieving the WHO’s 90-70-90 targets to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030?
Cervical cancer is closely linked to SRHR services and women's health and wellbeing in general. Cervical cancer is extremely difficult to treat once it has reached an advanced stage, so prevention is essential. The tragedy is that cervical cancer frequently affects young women. Cervical cancer screening and treatment must be included in all preventive SRHR services, including counselling when screening is unavailable, as is the case in many low-income settings. Women must be made aware of this cancer, its symptoms, and screening and testing options whenever they become available.
