Staff Reporter
MONICA Geingos, incoming Board Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), has called for young people and civil society to have a greater voice in decisions on financing for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health.
“The voices and experiences of communities, young people and civil society must be central to financing decisions,” she said.
Geingos made these remarks during a PMNCH Accountability Breakfast held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The gathering aimed to examine what meaningful accountability for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health should look like in today’s challenging financing environment.
She stressed that financing decisions are ultimately political choices and said communities and young people must be given a meaningful seat at the decision-making table. She also emphasised the need for accountability mechanisms that turn commitments into measurable results.
Drawing on her experience of co-creating the BeFree Youth Campus in Namibia, Geingos said sustainable progress is more likely when young people and communities are actively involved in shaping decisions that affect them, rather than being merely consulted. She further called for stronger accountability and a greater focus on turning commitments into action.
“We must move past the comfort of shared diagnosis and into the discomfort of immediate execution,” Geingos added.
Photos: Monica Geingos, the third First Lady of Namibia.
