Call for priority topics on women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health beyond 2030

This call has just been released. We will submit at least one coordinated response from the Children’s Voices Centre.

Call for priority topics on women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health beyond 2030
WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) are seeking input to help shape the future of women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health beyond 2030. https://www.who.int/news-room/articles-detail/call-for-priority-topics-on-women-s--children-s--and-adolescents--health-beyond-2030 (Deadline 18 October 2026) 

 

WHO Disability Health Equity Network: Workstream 4

Today was the sixth meeting of Workstream 4 of the WHO Disability Health Equity Network.

Scheduling WHO meetings is difficult. Here are the timezones we each were meeting on: 

• Tue Sep 15: 3-4pm ET
• Tue Sep 15: 9-10pm CEST
• Wed Sep 16: 5-6am AEST (Sydney, Australian time)

We discussed the outcomes of each of the subcommittees to date. I am in subcommittee 3.  We are focusing on research and evidence mobilization.

 

 

It was announced that there is a special issue of Disability and Health Journal https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/disability-and-health-journal titled Global Disability Health Equity https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/336891/global-disability-health-equity

World Health Organization meeting with Children's Voices Centre

Tonight we had our 2-monthly meeting with Dr Mél Gréaux from the World Health Organization to advance the collaborative project with the Children's Voices Centre 

AIM: To advance health equity for persons with disabilities by understanding the experience and perspectives of children with disabilities in the health sector

We are at the 18-month point of our 2-year project - so there are a lot of excellent results being discussed as we are finalising the presentations and publications from our research. We were pleased that Mél summarised the meeting with the sentence "As always, it's massively impressive". Thanks Mél - we really enjoy working with you too.

Sharynne  McLeod, Mél Gréaux, Kate Freire, Carolyn Gregoric, Belinda Downey, Helen L. Blake

CVC and World Health Organization collaboration

Our CVC team met this morning to update our progress on the CVC and WHO collaborative projects exploring children's perspectives of health. Most projects have completed the data collection phase and are currently being written up. There will be a lot of publications submitted in the next half of the year.

Tamara, Sharynne, Belinda, Kathy, Carolyn, Helen, Kate F

WHO bi-montly meeting with CVC

This evening we met with Dr Mél Gréaux from the Disability Programme at the World Health Organization to discuss the Children's Voices Centre progress on our 2-year project to consider health equity for children with disability. Our research is progressing from action to publications and presentations - and has already has been influential in presentations at WHO (Fiji and Geneva) and UN. We discussed future plans for audience and influence of this research, which may include COSP at the UN in June.  

Holly McAlister, Sharynne  McLeod, Mél Gréaux, Tamara Cumming, Kate Crowe, Helen Blake, Belinda Downey, Kate Freire, Kathy Cologon

Technical Expert Group for WHO Global Health Policy and Systems Research Agenda on Disability Health Equity (2026 - 2030)

I am one of 25 people across the world who have been selected by the World Health Organization to be a member of the Technical Expert Group for WHO Global Health Policy and Systems Research Agenda on Disability Health Equity (2026 - 2030). What an honour.

Objectives of the Global Research Agenda
Overall Goal: The WHO Global Research Agenda will guide research that generates the evidence policymakers need to reduce health inequities experienced by persons with disabilities.  

1. Define the key knowledge gaps and research areas for evidence generation on health equity for persons with disabilities at a global level over the next five years (from 2026 – 2030).
2. Strengthen knowledge production for evidence-informed policies, plans and practices relating to disability inclusion in health systems strengthening and primary health care.
3. Build research capacity on health equity for persons with disabilities by creating a framework for research priorities to be applied and further contextualized at the regional and national levels.

Background

Persons with disabilities – an estimated 16% of the global population – experience health inequities, as they die up to 20 years earlier and have poorer health compared to persons without disabilities, due to unjust or unfair conditions at all levels of health systems and society. The WHO Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities calls on policymakers to take action on disability inclusion in health systems strengthening efforts at country level, including by establishing national agendas for health policy and systems research.i
Health policy and systems research seeks “to understand and improve how societies organize themselves in achieving collective health goals, and how different actors interact in the policy and implementation processes to contribute to policy outcomes”.ii Health policy and systems research on disability health equity would explore a wide range of system-level questions − from financing to governance, through to issues surrounding the implementation of services and delivery of care, to the role of social determinants of health and the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders across sectors. Such research is crucial for policymakers to make informed decisions about which actions will contribute to the realization of universal health coverage (UHC), and to the smooth coordination between sectors, when advancing health equity for persons with disabilities.iii
There is currently no global health policy and system research agenda on health equity for persons with disabilities, but there is a growing need and demand for such a resource and approach. The World Health Assembly Resolution 74.8 on the “Highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities” requested WHO to support Member States with "the creation of a global research agenda that aligns with UHC, health emergencies and health and well-being, including health systems and policy research”.iv

Brainstorming with colleagues

What a fantastically rich brainstorm we had today thinking about the best way to analyse the Children Draw Health artworks. Thanks team!

Sharynne, Carolyn, Holly, Helen, Suzanne, Kathy, Kate F

 

Scoping review results presented at the meeting with the World Health Organization

Congratulations to Dr Kate Freire for leading the team who has been undertaking the scoping review for our project with the World Health Organization Disability team. Here are some of the results presented at our meeting with the WHO tonight 

Identification and Selection of Studies 

The search strategy identified 10,027 records for screening after duplicates had been removed and 361 records from NGO website searches and citation screening of included reports. Title and abstract screening resulted 9,082 records being excluded and the full texts of 1306 reports were subsequently obtained for review. Thus, 62 reports from 59 studies were included in the review. 

Characteristics of Studies 

The majority of the records (n = 54, 87%) were papers, with n = 8 (13%) theses. The majority of records n = 36 (61%) were from the later half of the review period (2011-2025). Twenty-one countries provided the healthcare settings for the children (United Kingdom n = 16, Canada n = 7, Brazil n = 5, Australia n = 4, Denmark n = 4, United States n = 4, Ireland n = 3, Türkiye n = 2, China n = 1, India n = 1, Iran n = 1, Israel n = 1, Mauritania n = 1, Norway n = 1, Pakistan n = 1, Portugal n = 1, Singapore n = 1, South Africa n = 1, South Korea n = 1, Spain n = 1, Sweden n = 1). In addition, one study included children from three countries: United States, Canada and Australia (Ahlawat et al., 2024).

Collaboration activities between WHO and Charles Sturt University (2025-2026)

Collaboration activities between WHO and Charles Sturt University (2025-2026)
Views of children and young people with disabilities about health and the health system

The Children's Voices Centre staff and affiliates have had a number of meetings this week. We are so proud of our achievements from 2025 and look forward to finalising the work during 2026.

CVC-WHO team meeting - 10 Feb 2026

Scoping review team - lead by Dr Kate Freire - 9 Feb 2026

FEEDBACK FROM WHO 14 February 2026

Thank you very much - this is wonderful!! Congratulations again to the whole team for the impressive work achieved in just one year. It is truly inspiring and we couldn’t be more pleased with the breadth of your activities and the quality of your inputs bringing the voices of children with disabilities in this space.

 Objective of the collaboration (2025-2026)
•    “The collaboration between WHO and Charles Sturt University will contribute to WHO’s efforts in supporting Member States to implement the actions and recommendations from the [WHO Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities]. More specifically, the collaboration activities will help to collect the latest evidence to support Member States promote engagement of communities and other stakeholders (particularly with children and young people with disabilities).”
•    “The overarching aim of these activities will be to provide guidance to WHO on how they could support Member States better understand the views of children and young people with disabilities, and integrate them in health system planning.”
 

Research team
•    World Health Organization Disability Programme (Switzerland): Dr Mélanie Gréaux
•    Charles Sturt University, Children’s Voices Centre (Australia): Prof Sharynne McLeod, A/Prof Kathryn Crowe, A/Prof Suzanne C. Hopf, Prof Sarah Verdon, Prof Julian Grant, Dr Lysa Dealtry, Dr Belinda Downey, Dr Kate Freire, Dr Helen L. Blake, Dr Carolyn Gregoric, and Holly McAlister, A/Prof Kathy Cologon

Research activities
During 2025 research activities were undertaken “to build evidence on the experiences and perspectives of children and young people with disabilities on health and access to healthcare services”. 

Monthly progress meetings were held with WHO and CSU were held (typically Thursday 7pm-8pm Australian time).

Two main research activities were planned over the 2-year period (2025-2026)

Activity #1: A world-wide online qualitative study to explore children and young people with disabilities’ views about health and their experiences in health services. 
Activity #2: A scoping or systematic review on the experiences of children with disabilities in the health sector. 

 Presentations (World Health Organization/United Nations)
•    76th Session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific (RCM76) | Nadi, Fiji | October 2025 | Prof Sharynne McLeod, Dr Helen L. Blake, Holly McAlister https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2025/10/76th-session-of-world-health.html
•    Launch WHO Disability Health Equity Network Meeting | Geneva, Switzerland | 12-13 November, 2025 | Dr Mélanie Gréaux, Prof Sharynne McLeod https://speakingmylanguages.blogspot.com/2025/11/world-health-organization-disability.html
•    World Children's Day event at Charles Sturt University with  David Ohana, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, United Nations Foundation https://unfoundation.org/who-we-are/our-people/david-ohana/ | 20th November, 2025| A/Prof Kathy Cologon, A/Prof Tamara Cumming https://alumni.csu.edu.au/news-and-events/events/industry/from-regional-roots-to-global-impact-kids-interview-un-changemaker-david-ohana 

Outputs
Report
•    Children draw health to advance health equity: Insights from children with disabilities (lay-person’s report) https://cdn.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/4506148/CVC-Children-draw-health-2025-Fiji-submission.pdf

Art exhibitions 
•    Children Draw Health Global Online Gallery https://www.csu.edu.au/research/childrens-voices-centre/research/childrens-health
•    Bathurst Regional Art Gallery (BRAG) exhibition (November 2025-January 2026) https://bathurstart.com.au/exhibitions-events/cvc-children-draw-health/ (Opening Night Event: Friday 21 November – A/Prof Tamara Cumming guest speaker)

Research outputs
Journal article (submitted)
•    McLeod, S., Gregoric, C., Downey, B., Cumming, T., Cologon, K. & Gréaux, M. (2025, submitted October). Children’s perspectives about health and healthcare: A global arts-based study focusing on children with disabilities [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Charles Sturt University. 

WHO - CVC monthly meeting

 

Sharynne  McLeod, Mél Gréaux, Kathy Cologon, Tamara Cumming, Lysa Dealtry

We had a wonderful meeting this evening to summarize all of the achievements over the past year in our research with Dr Mél Gréaux from the Disability Programme of the World Health Organization in Geneva. Some of the highlights of the year included being accepted into the WHO Global Disability Health Equity Network and presenting our research to WHO meetings in Geneva and Fiji. I was excited to see that the summary of the WHO meeting in Geneva that I attended in November included a photo of me reading the children's insights from our CVC on page 8! 

We have submitted one journal article (under review) and have some of the children's insights available here: https://www.csu.edu.au/research/childrens-voices-centre/research/childrens-health Thanks Mél for your encouragement and support of our research to profile the voices of children with disabilities. We are excited to continue this work in 2026.

Bathurst Regional Art Gallery Exhibition - Children Draw Health

Our Children Draw Health global online gallery is now an exhibit at the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery

https://bathurstart.com.au/exhibitions-events/cvc-children-draw-health/

A/Prof Tamara Cumming spoke about our artwork at the BRAG launch last night

Here is the information from BRAG about the exhibition

BRAG presents Children Draw Health by the Children's Voices Centre on the OUT THERE Digital Platforms | Forecourt Projector.

The Children’s Voices Centre is a Charles Sturt University Research Centre that conducts world-leading, transformative interdisciplinary research with, for and about children. It creates opportunities for all children to express their perspectives, share their knowledge, and be listened to with respect and action.

The Children Draw Health project invited children from across the world to draw or create a picture of their perspectives about health and healthcare, then answer a few quick questions to describe their creation. 126 drawings by children from 18 countries (Australia, Botswana, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Kenya, Malta, Netherlands, Rwanda, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States) were received in response to the prompts: What makes you healthy? Who helps you be healthy? Where do you go to get healthier? What would your ideal hospital or health service look like?

In 2025 the Children’s Voices Centre presented this research at the 76th Session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific (RCM76) in Nadi, Fiji.

At BRAG, Children Draw Health will be visible after dark in the Gallery/Library Forecourt, showcasing the incredible drawings and responses by children from Bathurst and the world until 25 January 2026. 

 

World Health Organization Disability Equity Health Network launch in Geneva

 The World Health Organization Disability Equity Health Network was launched today (Wednesday 12th November, 2025) at WHO in Geneva. The WHO team leading the Network are Dr Darryl Barrett, Dr Kaloyan Kamenov, Dr Mélanie Gréaux and Dr Francesca Moro https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2025/11/12/default-calendar/inaugural-meeting-of-the-who-disability-health-equity-network

WHO Disability Programme team: Dr Kaloyan Kamenov, Dr Francesca Moro, Dr Mélanie Gréaux, Dr Darryl Bennett

Members of the WHO Disability Equity Health Network in Geneva

 

 

Dr Mélanie Gréaux (WHO Disability Programme), Distinguished Professor Sharynne McLeod (CSU), Dr Kaloyan Kamenov (WHO Disability Programme)

The Health equity for persons with disabilities: guide for action (or Disability inclusion guide for action) provides practical guidance on the process that ministries of health should lead on to integrate disability inclusion into health systems governance, planning, and monitoring processes. It serves as the foundational resource to enable ministries of health and partners to implement the recommendations of the Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities. In line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Disability inclusion guide for action supports Member States to meet commitments to "leave no one behind" and achieve the highest attainable standard of health for all people. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09201 ; https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240101517

 

The Executive Board room at WHO has only just opened after 3 years of renovations - so it was very special to have the launch held in this auspicious room.

It was an honour to represent Charles Sturt University at this meeting - and as one of the 152 approved members. 

WHO Disability Equity Health Network Membership:  1,095 expressions of interest, 270 completed applications,  152 approved members (31 member states, 13 intergovernmental organizations, 72 members of civil society, 32 academia, 4 private sector). 67 members attended the meeting in Geneva, with others online. 

Distinguished Professor Sharynne  McLeod described the work of the Children's Voices Centre during the launch

Sharynne  with WHO Disability Program Director, Dr Darryl Barrett

Dr Kaloyan Kamenov described the journey so far: 

• 2001 - International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)
• 2006  - Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
• 2007 - ICF-CY 
• 2011 - World Report on Disability (WRD)
• 2014 - WHO Global Disability Action Plan
• 2015 - Sustainable Development Goals (with 11 SDGs mentioning "leave no one behind")
• 2021 - WHO statement
• 2022 - Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities
• 2025 - Launch of the Disability Health Equity Network in Geneva

Australians at the WHO meeting - Prof Scott Avery (Professor of Indigenous disability health and wellbeing, UTS), Sharynne, Anna Maalsen (Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria)

Sharynne  with Renée De Jong (Save the Children, Geneva/Australia)

 

Some ideas 

• World Hearing Forum (Carolina Der Mussa) -  Showcasing changemakers = "people with disability who show us and change us"
• SPECS - Have vision stories - https://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/sensory-functions-disability-and-rehabilitation/eye-care-vision-impairment-and-blindness/have-vision 

WHO Reception 

Swiss cheese at the reception on a WHO plate

Orientation to the United Nations, ILO, UNICEF and WHO in Geneva

I talk about and write about the United Nations every day including:

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD)
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

Today (12 Nov) was my first time visiting Geneva - and I spent the day orienting myself to:

• United Nations
• Red Cross (CICR)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• International Labor Organization (ILO)
• UNICEF
• UN Migration (IOM) 

It is very special to visit these important places that have shaped the world.

Broken chair - Giving a voice to victims of explosive weapons

Palais des Nations | The United Nations Office at Geneva

Snowy mountaintops in the distance

United Nations

Red Cross - Comité international de la Croix-Rouge

The People's Wall "This work explores the themes of identity, migration, the construction of shared narratives, and living together...imagining a world of diversity where everyone can find their place" (Philip Baldwin and Monica Guggisberg) - installation at Red Cross

WHO

ILO and UNICEF

UN Migration

Walking around Geneva on this gorgeous autumn day reminded me of the Parliamentary Triangle in Canberra in autumn. 

Official WHO photos of the CSU team

Holly McAlister

Distinguished Professor Sharynne  McLeod

Dr Helen L. Blake