GLN Ministers Commit to Sustainable Financing for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health

Ministers from the Global Leaders Network for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health (GLN), together with Indonesia’s finance minister, called for urgent action to secure sustainable financing for health systems amid declining global aid and rising fiscal pressures. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Bank‑IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., they stressed the need to turn political commitments into concrete financing solutions that protect the health of women, children and adolescents.

The gathering highlighted growing concerns that the erosion of official development assistance could reverse decades of progress in global health. Ministers noted that rising debt burdens, demographic shifts and competing national priorities are squeezing fiscal space in many countries, even as health needs continue to rise. Maternal and newborn mortality, adolescent health outcomes, access to sexual and reproductive health services, surgery and women’s cancer care remain urgent priorities, all highly sensitive to changes in both domestic and external funding.

To address these challenges, the ministers emphasized the importance of aligning and structuring concessional, public and private capital to mobilise and scale health‑sector investments. Through the GLN’s Financial Diplomacy Series, they will work with the Women’s Health and Economic Empowerment Network (WHEN), development finance institutions, the private sector and governments to design blended‑financing solutions tailored to country‑led investment priorities. Strengthening national health‑insurance systems and expanding financial protection were also identified as critical steps to reduce out‑of‑pocket expenditures and prevent catastrophic health spending, which disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including women and adolescents in the informal sector.

The ministers called on development finance institutions, the private sector and the international community to align behind these priorities and act with the urgency the moment demands. The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to safeguard the health and well‑being of women, children and adolescents through innovative and sustainable financing strategies.