Another busy week which included an online event during the UN High-Level Political Forum, the PMNCH Board meeting at which I was confirmed as Chair for another three years, and an op ed in The Sydney Morning Herald and two ABC interviews on the Pacific Island Leaders Summit.

I’ve commented on how to stem the current Omicron surge in New Zealand (which is not rocket science….), the chance to have input on the reclassification of stewardship land on NZ’s West Coast, the threat of extinction of the Maui dolphin, developments in Sri Lanka and more. Check out my Twitter page.

PAST EVENTS

"Choice, Voice, and Autonomy: Women's Political Leadership for health in a fragile world".

13 July 2022

Watch the video recording of an event organised during the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York, hosted by PMNCH and the Government of Estonia.

Moderated by me, with a panel of great speakers, the conversation looked at why women's political leadership matters at all times, and the difference it can make for gender equality.

European Parliament's Socialists & Democrats GPF webinar, “The new world order and the global arms race”

12 July 2022

Tune in to the recording of the latest GPF webinar, a discussion on the current issues of peace, security and the arms race.

Other speakers include: Stefan Löfven, former Prime Minister of Sweden and chair of the governing board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Sven Mikser, S&D MEP and rapporteur on the challenges and prospects for multilateral weapons of mass destruction, arms control and disarmament regimes, Klara Jordan, chief public policy officer of the Cyber Peace Institute, Andreas Schieder, S&D MEP and co-chair of the Global Progressive Forum, and Shada Islam, EU commentator and visiting professor at the College of Europe & Moderator.

MBRGI 2022 High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development hybrid dialogue

11 July 2022

“I was pleased to be asked to be part of this discussion on sustainable development goals housed by UAE Mission in New York. The SDG’s have been put on the back burner in international discourse with all the crises the world has, and I think it is important to see that countries committed to seeing SDGs succeed keep highlighting their importance.” [Helen Clark, excerpt from the recording]. Listen to the whole discussion here.

Op ed

“Pacific nations must be friends to all but beholden to none”

13 July 2022

“This week’s summit of Pacific Islands Forum in Suva comes not a moment too soon. […] Rising sea levels and evermore intense weather events pose threats to coastal villages, agriculture, infrastructure and whole economies. The pandemic has devastated the tourism-dependent economies. Now spillover impacts from the war in Ukraine have driven food and fuel costs sky-high, added to the already heavy burden of import costs in the Pacific.”

Check out my op ed published in The Sydney Morning Herald and an interview with ABC Radio National.

Recent

ESCAP High-Level Thematic Roundtable: Strengthening Health Responses and Preparedness

The 78th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) dealt with issues around fulfilling the the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I was pleased to speak at the roundtable event on pandemic preparedness.

THE LATEST FROM THE HELEN CLARK FOUNDATION

It takes a village

Don’t miss this upcoming webinar on perinatal mental health and join us at midday (NZ) on 28 July for a discussion on perinatal and maternal mental health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand. Associate Fellow Holly Walker will be presenting a short summary of the insights from her report on this topic - Āhurutia Te Rito | It takes a village.

It will also feature expert contributions from Kelly Feng (Asian Family Services) and Jacinta Fa’alili-Fidow (Moana Connect) about the respective experiences of Asian and Pacific parents, and from Amanda Malu (Whānau Āwhina Plunket) about Plunket’s increasing emphasis on perinatal and maternal wellbeing.

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