Tanzanian Vice President, Dr. Philip Isdor Mpango, has underscored the pressing global health challenges facing humanity.

These challenges, he said, include insecurity crises, stubborn diseases, health pandemic risks, food insecurity, malnutrition, economic headwinds, and rapid technological advancements.

Mr Mpango said this at the Women in Health Global Conference 2024 on Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Women in Global Health were the first organisation to campaign for gender equality in health leadership.

Since launching its movement in 2015, its global advocacy is supported today by 57 country chapters across 51 countries.

Collectively, they have garnered considerable political awareness and momentum towards advancing gender equity in women’s leadership through gender transformative leadership.

The vice president emphasised the necessity for dynamic and inclusive leadership, as well as strong partnerships and collaboration, to effectively address these global challenges.

He commended the organisers of the conference for selecting the theme of reimagining leadership and recognising the critical role of women’s leadership and priorities in finding innovative solutions to current global challenges.

Highlighting the gender disparities in leadership positions, he noted that only 12.5 per cent of senior staff and five per cent of top leadership positions were held by women globally.

He outlined various challenges holding women back from attaining senior leadership roles, including the distribution of responsibilities, a lack of role models and mentors, male-dominated customs and harassment in workplaces.

Furthermore, he emphasised the adverse impacts of global health challenges on low and middle-income countries, particularly affecting women who were primary care providers for families.

Despite progress made in increasing the representation of women in administrative roles, he acknowledged remaining challenges, particularly in addressing climate change and environmental pollution.

He stressed the importance of empowering female leaders to tackle such challenges effectively.

He urged women worldwide to continue their contributions to the global health community and encouraged Tanzanian women to establish forums to mentor young women in leadership.

He reaffirmed the Tanzanian government’s commitment to collaborating with women-led health programmes to promote women in health leadership roles.

With these remarks, he officially declared the Women in Health Global Conference 2024 open, marking a pivotal moment in advancing women’s leadership in global health.

(NAN)