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Vital Strategies Announces Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action

Vital Strategies to scale up data systems to improve women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services

Sept. 19, 2022 (New York, NY)—Gender inequality manifests as restrictions on mobility, lack of decision-making power and limited access to finances. This results in barriers in women’s ability to access health information and services, particularly those related to their sexual and reproductive health.

Today Vital Strategies announced a Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action to scale up efforts to strengthen data systems and monitor and analyze neglected sexual and reproductive health and rights to inform and drive policy development. CGI, an initiative of President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, supports partners in developing Commitments to Action—new, specific and measurable projects. The Commitment to Action model offers partners a framework to translate practical goals into meaningful and measurable results, and to catalyze partnerships to carry out and support their efforts. The CGI 2022 meeting, Sept. 19-20 is convening global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

“Many governments have endorsed global charters committing them to advance women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, but issues such as abortion, sexual and gender-based violence, and reproductive cancers, remain under-resourced and lack policy attention,” said Onikepe Owolabi, Program Director at Vital Strategies. “A lack of high-quality routine data on these issues results in minimal evidence on the health impacts associated with these reproductive health issues. This constrains decision-making and prevents women’s access to high-quality health care services and community interventions that can address the risk factors, disease and death associated with these neglected reproductive health issues.”

“This Commitment to Action allows Vital Strategies to help fill the global gap in national governments’ capacities to monitor and apply data to strengthen health policy, planning and service delivery for neglected sexual and reproductive health issues,” Owolabi continued. Ultimately, this will lead to better health and social outcomes for women and girls.”

Vital Strategies works in more than 70 countries, leveraging its global expertise in epidemiology, data science and health information management systems, policy development and many other areas of public health. Building on an existing program focus on data quality and its use to drive policy development, Vital Strategies will work in current program countries, Bangladesh, Rwanda and Uganda, and expand to new countries to further enable policy development on neglected sexual and reproductive health and rights.

“Despite progress in reducing social and health disparities in the last century, women and girls remain marginalized in many countries,” said José Luis Castro, President and CEO of Vital Strategies. “Clear and compelling data and evidence, along with effective advocacy, is critical to advance meaningful policy and program improvements to improve access to reproductive health information and services. We are grateful to CGI for their support to elevate this critical work which will expand access to sexual and reproductive health and promote gender equity.”

Through its unique model, CGI supports partners in developing Commitments to Action, and since 2005, members of the CGI community have made more than 3,700 Commitments to Action that have made a difference in the lives of over 435 million people in more than 180 countries.

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies is a global health organization that believes every person should be protected by equitable and effective public health systems. We partner with governments, communities and organizations to reimagine public health, and the result is millions of people living longer, healthier lives. Our goal is to build a future where better health is supported across all facets of our lives, in our families, communities, in our environment and our governments.

To learn more visit vitalstrategies.org or follow us @VitalStrat.

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global and emerging leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI works with partners to drive action through its unique model. Rather than directly implementing projects, CGI facilitates action by helping members connect, collaborate, and develop Commitments to Action—new, specific, and measurable plans that address global challenges. Through CGI, the community has made more than 3,700 Commitments to Action that have made a difference in the lives of more than 435 million people in more than 180 countries.

Media Contacts

Christina Honeysett: 914-424-3356; choneysett@vitalstrategies.org

Ally Davis: 516-205-4203; adavis@vitalstrategies.org