Women Deliver

Women Deliver
Name	Women Deliver
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2007
Founder	Jill Sheffield
Headquarters	Vancouver, British Columbia
Focus	Maternal health, reproductive rights, gender equality, adolescent health

Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization focused on maternal health, reproductive rights, and gender equality. It convenes conferences, conducts policy advocacy, and funds programs to improve the health and rights of girls and women worldwide. The organization engages with multilateral institutions, donor agencies, health ministries, and civil society to influence policy and financing for sexual and reproductive health.

History

Women Deliver was founded in 2007 by Jill Sheffield amid global debates around the Millennium Development Goals and the growing influence of United Nations Population Fund and World Health Organization policy on maternal mortality. Early work connected with campaigns led by Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America to highlight maternal health in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing+15 and 2015 Sustainable Development Summit. The organization held its first major global conference drawing representatives from United Nations, World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and national delegations such as United States Department of State and Government of Canada. Over time it forged partnerships with NGOs including PATH, Save the Children, CARE International, and networks like International Planned Parenthood Federation and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Mission and Advocacy

Women Deliver’s stated mission links to commitments embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Sustainable Development Goal 5. Advocacy strategies target policy fora such as the United Nations General Assembly, World Health Assembly, Commission on the Status of Women, and financing mechanisms like the Global Financing Facility. It lobbies treaty bodies including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and engages parliamentary caucuses such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The organization amplifies voices of activists associated with movements like #MeToo movement, HeForShe, and regional coalitions such as African Union initiatives on girls’ education and health. Women Deliver collaborates with research institutions including Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to translate evidence into policy briefs for ministries of health and donors.

Programs and Initiatives

Programming spans capacity building, grantmaking, and communications. Grant portfolios have included awards to organizations working alongside Médecins Sans Frontières, BRAC, Partners In Health, and youth networks such as YOUNG? and Youth LEAD (note: names of specific youth networks vary by region). Initiative areas intersect with platforms like FP2020 and the SheDecides movement, and technical efforts align with clinical guidance from FIGO and International Confederation of Midwives. Campaigns have partnered with media outlets including BBC, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera to amplify storytelling, and with private-sector partners such as Unilever and Johnson & Johnson on social marketing. Capacity programs have trained advocates to work with institutions like Ministry of Health (Kenya), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India), and regional bodies such as ASEAN and Pan American Health Organization.

Conferences and Global Impact

Major global conferences organized by the group have brought together delegations from United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Children's Fund, bilateral donors including United States Agency for International Development, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (UK), and philanthropic entities such as the Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations. Speakers have included leaders from World Bank Group, heads of state like representatives from Norway and Liberia, celebrity advocates associated with Global Citizen and Billboard-linked campaigns, and activists connected to Global Gag Rule debates. Conference outcomes have been cited in policy documents by European Commission, G7, and regional development banks such as the Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included foundations like the Gates Foundation, Packard Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation, bilateral donors such as Government of Sweden, Government of Norway, and corporate partners including Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola Company in various capacities. Strategic partnerships have linked the organization to multilateral funds such as the Global Fund, GAVI, and policy platforms like Every Woman Every Child. It has entered memoranda of understanding with research partners such as University of Toronto, Columbia University, and networks like Women in Global Health to support data-driven advocacy.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics have raised concerns about alliances with corporate entities including Johnson & Johnson and Coca-Cola Company, arguing potential conflict with public health advocacy similar to debates seen in World Health Organization engagement with industry. Other controversies echo tensions around the Global Gag Rule and positions on reproductive rights that have provoked debate among organizations like Catholic Relief Services and faith-based networks such as Caritas Internationalis. Academic commentators from institutions including University of Oxford and University College London have critiqued the influence of donor priorities on agenda-setting, drawing parallels with controversies involving USAID funding conditionalities and corporate partnerships in global health. Some activists affiliated with grassroots networks in regions represented by African Union, Organization of American States, and Pacific Islands Forum have criticized conference accessibility and representational balance.

Category:International non-profit organizations