Session 1
Tuesday, 30 September 2025 | 14:00-15:15 | Conference Centre
Despite progress in gender equality and advances in clinical research and treatment, global and European statistics continue to tell a different story for women’s health. Women remain underrepresented, undertreated, and thus underdiagnosed, especially in the area of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This failure to deliver on the social contract for half the world’s population has also placed a tremendous financial burden on healthcare systems. More recently, the politicisation and rollback of women’s health rights has undermined efforts to close the gender gap. Now more than ever, it is time to work together to improve outcomes and enhance the quality of life for women in Europe and beyond. In Europe, the political momentum is strong with a new mandate prioritising women’s health, the publication of a women’s rights roadmap, and the launch of a women’s interest group. Europe has demonstrated that it will step up to the plate, but will it continue to? This session will reflect on the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to gender mainstreaming in health policy. It will bring together multi-sectoral perspectives to fuel dialogue with evidence to support informed policymaking.