Against All Odds: Strengthening Health Systems to Better Serve Vulnerable Women and Children

In situations of instability, women and children bear disproportionate consequences, often in silence. The intersection between women’s health and complex settings was seen most recently in the Ebola and Zika emergencies, where health systems were taxed and workforces decimated. In other countries, political instability, migration, and natural disasters have contributed to high levels of violence, infant mortality, and maternal mortality and morbidity.

This panel will explore the challenges health systems face in complex and post-conflict settings, how these challenges impact the health of the most vulnerable—women and children—and how we can harness the power of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to build more resilient health systems.