Health and gender equality are indivisible and fundamental human rights. “Right to health cannot be dislocated from gender equality and human rights. We have to ensure that gender equality and human right to health are recognised as fundamental human rights in all countries,” said Shobha Shukla, who was the Lead Discussant for SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) at the United Nations intergovernmental High Level Political Forum (HLPF 2025) at UN HQ in New York (14-23 July 2025). She was speaking on behalf of Asia Pacific Regional Civil Society Engagement Mechanism.
The theme of HLPF 2025 is “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind”.
The 2025 HLPF with full appreciation for the integrated, indivisible and interlinked nature of the Sustainable Development Goals, is conducting in-depth reviews of: SDG 3 (ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages); SDG 5 (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls); SDG 8 (promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all); SDG 14 (conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development); and SDG 17 (strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development).
Progress on SDG-3 is stunted in Asia Pacific
“Progress towards SDG3, continues to be stunted in the Asia Pacific region, such as on universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights; communicable and noncommunicable diseases; universal health coverage; and access for all to safe, effective, quality and affordable disease prevention tools like vaccines, diagnostics and medicines,” said Shobha Shukla, who earlier taught physics at Loreto Convent College and leads CNS as Founder Executive Director.
“Gender disparities significantly impact health outcomes and evidence shows that SDG 3 goals cannot be realised without addressing SDG 5 on gender equality. Rise of anti-rights and anti-gender ideologies, including the regressive Geneva Consensus Declaration, the most recent trend of defunding development assistance for gender equality and health, the impact of austerity measures in debt-ridden countries, deprioritisation of health spending, and poor domestic resource allocation on health, are contributing to reversal in progress towards SDG3,” she added.
Sexual and reproductive health and bodily autonomy are critical to deliver on SDG3 and other SDGs
“Essential health services must include sexual and reproductive health services – including safe abortion and post-abortion care, menstrual health hygiene, and mental health services, with particular attention to women, adolescent girls, persons with disability, indigenous peoples, gender diverse communities, older people, young people, migrant workers, refugees, people living with HIV, sex workers, people who use drugs, among others. They must also include all health and social support services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,” said Shobha Shukla.
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is not about coverage alone it is essentially about care, justice and equity. So, we need to reach the unreached – with standard healthcare services in a right-based, gender transformative and person-centred manner. More importantly, there is no UHC if we do not deliver fully on sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice – including abortion rights. There is no health without rights – without bodily autonomy and without justice.
Save the medicines that protect us
“All countries must stop misuse and overuse of medicines in all sectors and prevent antimicrobial resistance using the One Health approach,” said Shobha Shukla who serves as Chairperson of Global Antimicrobial Resistance Media Alliance (GAMA).
“WHO FCTC Articles 5.3 and 19 empower governments to make tobacco and nicotine industries liable and pay for the harm they are causing to human health and our planet. All forms of corporate capture of public health policy must end and corporations that are causing harm to human health and the environment must be held liable,” she said.
Gender-transformative reforms of global financial architecture is vital
Gender transformative economic system that is based on rights to justice, care, and equality for everyone urgently. Because most of the countries in the Global South are in the cycles of perennial debt – which they have to keep servicing to international financial institutions. This results into austerity measures which include countries cutting down on public services, access to health services, education services, social protection services, among others.
UN Charter along with other legally binding treaties or agreements such as CEDAW, WHO FCTC, ICDP 1994, Beijing Declaration 1995, must primacy over trade deals – we cannot let profit override people’s interests.
We cannot forget that during COVID-19, Global North heavy multilateralism had failed the Global South. Vaccines were piled up and thrown after expiry by some rich nations when there were Global South nations who had no dose for example. We cannot have Global North heavy multilateralism.
When 183 countries (including the European Union) have policies to stop industry interference in public policy and make Big Tobacco pay as part of their commitment to global tobacco treaty (formally called the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or WHO FCTC) then why cannot we adopt this as a standard across the UN treaties, policies, agreements, guidelines and processes, as a mandatory binding rule?
Governments must suspend patents and lift trade rules that impede access to medicines and medical technologies, said Shobha Shukla.
“Governments also need to address occupational health and provide meaningful ‘right to know’ to workers, prioritise prevention, and establish exposure limits protective of the most vulnerable populations. All SDG 3 targets must be fully-funded and DAC countries (30 developed nations that give aid to developing nations) should fulfill their commitment to official development assistance (ODA) for gender equality and health. At the same time countries must mobilise domestic resources for health,” she added.
Talk of peace & increasing defence budgets do not go together!
We cannot have double standards. last month NATO countries agreed to raise defence budget by 5% and 4th Financing for Development Conference failed to deliver on feminist agenda – and declining financial aid to finance SDGs continue to be a major impediment. This is compounded by a US$ 4 trillion annual investment gap for SDG achievement in developing countries. Shobha Shukla calls upon governments to fund people’s priorities. Global peace is an essential cog in the wheel for SDGs.
Health responses and all public services must be person-centred, gender transformative and rights-based
“We have to ensure that health responses and all public services are people-centred, gender transformative and rights-based for all, without any condition or exclusion,” said Shobha Shukla, lead discussant for SDG3 at HLPF 2025.
“With less than 5 and a half years left to deliver on SDG3, we appeal to governments to step up their actions on gender equality and right to health – where no one is left behind,” she concluded.
The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the United Nations platform for the follow-up and review of SDGs. The HLPF was established at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012 in its outcome “The Future We Want”.
