Latin American and Caribbean countries have adopted the Santiago Commitment to Action for the Implementation of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health. The Santiago Commitment to Action, which was adopted at the Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent meeting held in Santiago de Chile from 2 to 4 July, saw the countries agree to work to end all preventable deaths, including AIDS-related deaths of women, children and adolescents by 2030, and to develop effective initiatives to ensuring their well-being.
The meeting, hosted by the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, saw regional ministers of health and social development and other experts come together. They discussed strategies to reduce inequalities and teenage pregnancy and to promote quality sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV prevention and care.
The participants recognized that the health of women, children and adolescents is critically important to almost every area of human development and progress, and directly affects the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The participants warned that inequalities affect and worsen overall health in society and represent the greatest threat to regional development.
With the Santiago Commitment to Action, participants agreed to strengthen universal access to health, including HIV-related services, with a human rights and life-cycle approach. They also agreed to develop an integrated programme for women, children and adolescents that guarantees access to HIV services and promotes cooperation and multisectoral actions within and between countries.
The meeting was also an opportunity to formally present the new coordinating mechanism for the Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean, which unites seven organizations under the name Every Woman Every Child Latin America and the Caribbean. This initiative leverages the work done by A Promise Renewed for the Americas, which has transitioned to become the regional interagency coordination mechanism for the Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy.
“We need each country to develop an integrated programme for women, children and adolescents, strengthening components of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.”
Michelle Bachelet President of Chile and Co-chair of the High-Level Steering Group on the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health"
“The Sustainable Development Goals are fundamentally about exclusion and inequality. And it is no longer a question of North or South—even within countries there is exclusion. There is a lot to do to end AIDS, and it is fundamental to involve Latin America.”
Luiz Loures UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director
“Health inequities are not only unjust, they also threaten the advances we have made in the past decades, and endanger economic growth and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. We have an obligation to ensure that political actions reach the most disadvantaged people first and then gradually benefit every woman, child and adolescent in our region.”
Carissa Etienne Director, Pan American Health Organization
“Health and well-being of women, children and adolescents must be seen as a public good.”
Kim Simplis Barrow First Lady of Belize
