Women’s Health – Global Wealth: Catalyzing Returns on Bold Investments

Women’s health stands as both a litmus test and a lever for collective progress. Despite representing half the world’s population, it remains chronically underfunded and underprioritized.

While global funding for sexual and reproductive health Research and Development (R&D) nearly doubled between 2018 and 2023, less than 1% of R&D is directed toward female-specific conditions beyond oncology. In fact, the burden of benign gynecologic diseases now exceeds that of malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV combined for women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries.

Yet opportunity is within reach. An investment of $300 million in women’s health R&D could generate an estimated $13 billion in economic returns. Low-cost, high-impact innovations are already market-ready but face barriers to scale due to fragmented financing and weak delivery ecosystems.

This session, convened by UNFPA, will bring together ministers, multilateral partners, philanthropies, and private sector leaders to spotlight how catalytic capital, blended finance, and strategic alignment can accelerate impact.