Membership Engagement

As a national chapter, WGH Norway supports the global movement with various functions and activities that are relevant to the national context and inclusive for all members.

Standing Committees

1. Networking

To provide value by organizing in-person networking activities and to encourage collaborations such as mentoring and other productive relations.

2. Advocacy

To provide advocacy for needed areas of change through interviews, short stories and articles that can be published and shared nationally.

3. Leadership

To provide support for the development of capacity strengthening through workshops, based on the needs stated by members (e.g. leadership, negotiation, grant writing, etc).

All WGH Norway members are welcome to join one or more of the Standing Committees. The Standing Committees will be open to contribute to the work of Ad-hoc Task Forces (listed below), which focus on emerging global and national trends that is of a particular interest to WGH Norway and its members. To join any of the Standing Committees, please register here.

Ad-hoc Task Forces

Vulnerable Children - consequences for gender equality

The cross-cutting problems many children today are exposed to may have severe long-term consequences for gender equality that has so far only been addressed to a limited extent. It is imperative to acknowledge the value of gender equity in health from birth. This ad-hoc task force led by Advisory Group Member, Ingvill Constanze Mochmann aims to analyze how the syndemic of war, migration, poverty, and the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting children and how this may impact future gender equity.

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Photo: Colourbox

Amongst the interrelated questions to be answered are:

  • What are the major risks to children worldwide since 2020? 
  • How has it changed?
  • Are the risks  interrelated?
  • What are the short-, mid- and long-term individual and societal consequences of these risks to children?
  • Which specific (long-term) systemic consequences may these risks have related to gender equality? 
  • What could this imply for child services in the health sector?

The questions will be investigated through engaging the WGH Norway members in the three standing committees (networking, advocacy, leadership). They will be analyzed by means of several data sources as well as expert interviews of scholars, practitioners, politicians etc. Due to the extent of the topic, the scope may have to be limited to a comparative analysis of some selected case studies.

Children are amongst the most vulnerable groups in society. In times of war and crises, the human rights of children are challenged and often not prioritized by governments and the international community. Prior to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, for example, the world saw an increase of risk to the well-being of children with the financial crisis of 2008. This resulted in the collapse of economies worldwide, even in politically stable countries, which left millions of children in poverty. The consequences being poorer health, less education and an increase in child labor and exploitation. The humanitarian crises globally in the past decade - the destabilization of the middle east,  the wars in Afghanistan, Syria and now recently in the Ukraine, the rise of failed states and increase in inequalities in capitalist countries – are all developments with major impact for children and their prosperity. The pandemic hit the already vulnerable population groups and children with full strength. The consequences are yet to be mapped. However, according to the UNICEF's report, The State of the World’s Children 2021, an estimated 13 percent of adolescents aged 10-19 is estimated to live with a diagnosed mental disorder. The disruption to routines, education, recreation, as well as concern for family income and health, due to the pandemic, is leaving many young people feeling afraid, angry, and concerned for their future (UNICEF 2021).

WGH Norway has a distinct emphasis on the interplay of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 3 (good health), 4 (good education), and 5 (gender equality), while advancing the agenda of diverse, gender-balanced leadership. Considering the global challenges children face today, all three SDGs are at stake. Girls are often particularly vulnerable as they in many cultures do not possess the same status, legal and human rights as boys. Girls are more exposed to, amongst others, sexual and gender-based violence, child marriage, and exclusion to education. A society striving to achieve gender equality and increased female leadership, can only obtain this if equal rights and development opportunities are provided from birth. In addition to securing the political framework and infrastructure required, cultural aspects preventing all genders having equal opportunities need to be addressed. Educating both boys and girls that gender equality is of benefit to society is a precondition for achieving equality between genders.

COVID 50/50 Task force (retired)

The year 2020, marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, which was intended to be ground-breaking for gender equality. Instead, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, even the limited gains made in past decades were put at risk. The ongoing pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities and exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems that are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic. In support, WGH started the #COVID5050 Campaign introducing the Five Asks for Gender-Responsive Global Health Security to help confront power and privilege, which undermine global health by preventing women from contributing equally to the fight against challenges like COVID-19. Therefore, WGH Norway initiated an ad-hoc COVID 50/50 Task force led by WGH Norway Advisory Group Member, Candela Iglesias Chiesa to serve as a national hub for COVID-19 and gender equity actions and activities. In support, three WGH Norway members lead working groups consisting of chapter members working on COVID-19 related activities and events, interviews, rapid assessments and more. We welcome and encourage all WGH members to join and participate in this ongoing campaign!

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Photo: ShutterStock

Events

Addressing Career Development for Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Norway

In this webinar, invited speakers shared reflections and personal experiences about how COVID-19 has affected career development prospects in Norway (recording available).

Q&A Interview series

The COVID 50/50 Task force, specifically the Short Stories working group has developed an interview series known as Q&A. This series aims to share stories and reflections of women working in global health and their experiences related to the Five Asks. These informative interviews also highlight the personal and professional perspectives of women working during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway.

Q&A "Closing the gender gap is vital on the mental health front”

In this Q&A Interview, Bobbie Ray Sannerud, an American executive and Clinical Psychologist in Oslo shares her reflections about the ongoing pandemic and the importance of closing the gender gap.

Q&A featuring Marianne Jahre

In this Q&A Interview, Marianne Jahre, Professor at Lund University and BI Norwegian Business School introduces her current research and shares personal and professional lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q&A "We have every right to be safe"

In this Q&A Interview, Parvathi Rau Bains, shares experience with working with vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q&A featuring Gunnveig Grødeland

In this Q&A Interview, Gunnveig Grødeland, Researcher at the Department of Immunology at the University of Oslo introduces her current research and shares personal and professional lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway.

Q&A “Collaboration is key to the crisis”

In this Q&A Interview, Anne-Karin Kolstad, Secretary General of HivNorway shares experiences of her long career in NGO leadership, political advocacy and lobbying.

Q&A "The status quo is not only unfair, but also unproductive"

In this Q&A Interview, Ingrid Tiegland shares how her background as a medical doctor has shaped her current work in two very different, but relevant industries - medical innovation and finance.

Q&A with COVID 50/50 Taskforce - "It takes a village"

In this Q&A Interview, Julia Marzioch shares her birthing story with the WGH Norway COVID 50/50 Taskforce and reflects on what it was like to embark on a journey as a new mother during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Five Asks for Gender-Responsive Global Health Security

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Global Health Security Depends on Women, Photo: Women in Global Health
  1. Include women in global health security decision making structures and public discourse
  2. Provide health workers, most of whom are women, with safe and decent working conditions
  3. Recognize the value of women's unpaid care work by including it in the formal labor market and redistributing unpaid family care equally
  4. Adopt a gender-sensitive approach to health security data collection/analysis and response management
  5. Fund women's movements to unleash capacity to address critical gender issues
Published Apr. 20, 2021 5:10 PM - Last modified Feb. 20, 2023 10:34 AM