Closing the women’s health gap could unlock trillions of dollars for the global economy every year, yet women still spend around 25% more of their lives in poor health than men.

This is about the basic right to live without pain and fear.

We have written to over 4,500 G20 leaders, parliamentarians, policymakers and diplomatic representatives, calling for a G20 Women’s Health Taskforce, national and local implementation groups, and for every political leader to sit down with their local hospitals and doctors to ask: are you flagging these conditions and the effects of violence early, and if not, what do you need to do it? What do you need to solve it?

Whether a woman wants to build a company, be a stay-at-home mum, or both, chronic illness, infertility, untreated conditions and violence all brutally restrict her choices and ability to do either.

Around 10% of women have endometriosis, up to 80% have fibroids, many lose organs to “benign” disease, cardiovascular disease accounts for 1 in 3 deaths of all women each year, 1 in 3 women have been subjected to physical/ sexual violence leaving deep and long-term health issues. Pre-eclampsia – where high blood pressure is often dismissed in women – can cost both a mother and her baby their lives. From traumatic injuries and complications in pregnancy to lifelong mental health conditions and chronic pain, the list goes on. The only solution is prioritisation and innovation.

Governments have said they want to invest in women and girls – now is the moment to prove it with diagnosis, treatment and funding.

*Issued by The Dove Foundation for Global Change in partnership with W20 (official engagement group to the G20 focused on gender equality).