Launching the Path to Gender Justice in Global Health: Key Takeaways from New Delhi

On World Health Day, the Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health launched its landmark report at a packed event in New Delhi, bringing together leaders from government, civil society, academia, and global institutions. As Ravi Verma, Commissioner and Director of ICRW Asia noted, it is rare to see government officials, researchers, and feminist and grassroots movements in dialogue together. This event demonstrated the power of such collaboration. 

Cross-sectoral convening is essential for achieving the positive and sustained change needed for gender justice in health. Global 50/50, together with ICRW, SAHAJ and the Institute of Economic Growth, was proud to co-host this event. 

Government Commitment to Gender and Health 

Zoya Ali Rizvi, Deputy Commissioner at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, outlined India’s efforts to advance gender and health through the National Programme for Adolescent Health. She highlighted the need for better sex-disaggregated data, greater integration of social sciences, gender budgeting, and collaboration with the private sector. She also pointed to a key barrier: the underuse of available resources. Her remarks reinforced a key message from the day that progress depends on sustained dialogue between sectors, including civil society. 

Insights from the Speakers 

Professor Sarah Hawkes, Co-Chair of the Commission and Co-Founder of Global 50/50, spoke directly to the question of power:
“Gender justice is central to health equity and power is central to gender justice. To achieve health equity, we must address power imbalances between men and women, between the state and the corporate sector, and counteract the influence of anti-gender ideologies that set back health for all.” 

Rebekka Park, Commissioner and Senior Editor at The Lancet, called the event a powerful reminder of what is possible through collaboration. She warned that the world is off track to achieve gender equality and health for all by 2030, citing rising misogyny and backlash against equity efforts. She shared an example from India where expanding access to rights and resources had created lasting change. Her message was clear: gender justice must be supported with funding and leadership from the grassroots. 

Dr Ravi Verma, Executive Director at ICRW Asia, emphasised the importance of addressing diverse masculinities in gender and health. He reflected on shifts in how men have been framed in public health, from population control to HIV to violence prevention. He welcomed the Commission’s approach as one that moves beyond treating men as a single group and instead recognises the complexity of power and identity. 

Farah Naqvi, writer and activist, focused on the evolving understanding of gender among younger people. She said that despite backlash, there is still curiosity and engagement, pointing to online platforms where young voices are reshaping the conversation. She argued this interest should be welcomed, as gender remains a powerful concept for addressing injustice. 

Professor Indrani Gupta, Commissioner and Head of the Health Policy Research Unit at the Institute of Economic Growth, underlined the value of collaboration between communities, academics, and policymakers. In the past, she said, such dialogue led to real progress, but these spaces are now closing. She called on governments to reopen channels for evidence-informed policy based on the Commission’s recommendations. 

Professor Rama Baru, formerly of Jawaharlal Nehru University, critiqued the reluctance of public health institutions to engage with the complexity of health equity. She noted that while movements had broadened the lens beyond class to include gender and disability, biomedical frameworks continue to dominate. She stressed the need to protect civic space for academics and activists to challenge entrenched systems. 

Anand Grover, Senior Advocate and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, explored how Indian religious texts once acknowledged gender diversity. He referenced Brahmanical, Jain, and Buddhist writings from 300 to 700 AD that spoke of non-binary identities. He contrasted this with colonial-era legal norms, urging a return to indigenous, inclusive understandings of gender to inform rights-based health policy. 

Anjali Gopalan, Executive Director of Naz Foundation India Trust, brought urgency and realism. While welcoming the report, she questioned whether meaningful change would happen in her lifetime, citing ongoing denial of basic rights and a growing backlash against trans communities. She spoke of the widening divide between the Global North and South and the silencing of issues like Palestine. She called for quiet but strategic coalition-building, grounded in shared values and mutual respect. 

Renu Khanna, Commissioner and Founder of SAHAJ, called for a more inclusive gender lens in health research. She noted that questions from adolescent girls such as “What about the boys?” point to the need for approaches that do not treat gender as a binary. She challenged research that uses gender labels but lacks meaningful analysis and urged stronger data systems that include lived experience alongside quantitative and qualitative evidence. 

Through the Lens of Global 50/50: Accountability, Collaboration, Systems Change 

Several powerful themes emerged during the event, providing both urgency and clarity around the path forward for advancing gender and health equity: 

1. From Commitment to Accountability
   Commitments to gender equality are increasingly common, but they are rarely supported by strong accountability structures. Farah Naqvi reminded the audience that gender should not be treated as an optional element or a checklist item. It must be embedded into how programmes are conceived, financed, and assessed. The lack of accountability continues to be a critical gap.
2. Collaboration Across Disciplines and Movements
   Speakers pointed to the importance of working across disciplines, sectors, and movements to provide meaningful and lasting change. Drawing on lessons from the HIV response, Anjali Gopalan and Indrani Gupta shared how transformative progress was possible when diverse actors came together. In this context, Global 50/50’s role in convening actors from academia, activism, government, and communities is more vital than ever.
3. Reclaiming and Reconceptualising Gender
   There was a strong call to shift away from viewing gender solely as identity or as synonymous with women and girls. Instead, gender must be understood as a system of power that shapes outcomes across health systems, institutions, and global structures. As Farah Naqvi observed, gender can take many forms, and that adaptability is a strength. This perspective offers a way to engage younger generations and root gender in the pursuit of justice and equity.
4. Civil Society and Strategic Coalition Building
   As civic space narrows in many settings, participants called for renewed efforts to provide safe and effective platforms for civil society engagement. Anjali Gopalan reminded the group that while organising may need to happen more discreetly in the current climate, the need for coalition building remains urgent. Quiet, strategic spaces can allow actors from different regions and sectors to come together around shared goals.
5. Data That Tells the Full Story
   Speakers highlighted the limitations of relying only on sex disaggregated data. To provide a more complete understanding of health inequities, data must be accompanied by qualitative insights, feminist theory, and context. The aim is not only to identify where the gaps are, but also to understand why they exist and how systems must change to close them.

Looking Ahead 

The New Delhi event marks the first in a global series sharing the Commission’s findings and driving action.  

It was clear from this launch event this is no ordinary report. It’s a deeply informed, sharply focused analysis of how the global health sector is failing to deliver for everyone and what must change to ensure it does. And crucially, it presents a way forward – actionable recommendations for health leaders, policymakers, funders, and advocates.