Innovating for Equity in the Health Workforce: Perspectives from the NGO CSW70 Forum

As I entered the Church Center for the United Nations in New York City in March, I was surrounded by a distinct passion and energy. The NGO Forum during the 70th UN Commission on the Status of Women, organized by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY, promised meaningful engagement, discussion, and thought around the main themes of CSW70—the full and effective participation and decision-making of women in public life and achieving gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. The full slate of 750+ events over the two-week convening served to highlight the importance of these topics and showcase the breadth of their inclusion in the fabric of our societies.

Healthcare is an undeniable throughline to these themes. Its accessibility is a major component to women’s participation in public life. But equally prevalent is the fact that the majority of healthcare professionals are women, and they are faced with issues of gender equity in the course of their work. This is especially the case when it comes to career advancement in a landscape currently characterized by rapidly evolving roles and responsibilities in care administration.

TruMerit’s parallel event, in collaboration with ICN and SONSIEL at the NGO CSW70 Forum, Innovating for Equity: Global Standards and Career Advancement for Health Professions, convened thought leaders that hold a common understanding: we cannot bolster the global health workforce without supporting and uplifting the women that comprise it. Our systems should facilitate recognition of the skills of nurses and other allied health professionals, easily allowing for certification and credentialing based on well-developed, competency-based assessment. And the frameworks that inform such assessment should align with a truly global standard of care, recognizing skills and competencies regardless of geographic or cultural context.

Hearing from impactful healthcare leaders from the UN Member State government, the World Health Organization, the International Council of Nurses, and SONSIEL cemented these truths for me. While acknowledging the persistent hurdles of ongoing workforce shortages and the effects of global conflict and climate crises on healthcare, their remarks likewise framed a vision for a better and stronger healthcare workforce; one best shaped by the lived experience, invaluable perspectives, and boundless potential of the professionals at the forefront of care delivery.

This was echoed by the speakers on the event’s panel. A group of exceptional female leaders engaged in frontline care, academia, healthcare professional organizations, and health workforce development made a clear impact on those in the room while sharing their unique perspectives. Through their words, I understood the tangible effects of ensuring advancement opportunities for women in the healthcare sphere. Recognition of their skills had placed them in the right places to push the health workforce forward, engaging nurses from different parts of the world at various stages in their careers or work migration journeys and collaborating with health systems, civil society, international bodies, and other stakeholders influencing and shaping the face of the profession.

Overcoming barriers to career advancement for these health professionals requires elastic thought and innovative approaches. The right people need to be in the right place at the right time to evolve care models and shape effective healthcare policy. And to get them there, their skills and competencies must be duly recognized and backed by a cohesive and truly global standard of care. These are key steps toward gender equity in the health professions and empowering the women that drive the global health workforce ensuring our care.