As global health leaders, governments, civil society and NGOs grapple to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, the voices of women and girls remain largely unheard. The Coronavirus Global Response launched by the European Commission has raised €9.8 billion to date to combat the pandemic; however, allocations explicitly for the protection and continued provision of routine services for women, adolescents and children have not materialised (the majority of funds are earmarked for vaccines development, deployment and diagnostics).
Some support to health and nutrition services for women and girls has come from some countries – for example, the Netherlands, and under the UK government’s commitment to the global coronavirus response, £10 million will go directly to United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) response to COVID-19.
But more funding is needed to reverse the disastrous effects of COVID-19 on women and girls.