SHF Executive Director joins the International Gender Champion network

Gender equality is at the core of SHF’s mission. While lack of access to sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health disproportionately impacts women and girls, investment in these sectors is importantly an investment in women, and the societies and economies they power.  

With gender equality being central to SHF’s vision of thriving sanitation economies and the menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) market, SHF is excited to join the International Gender Champion Network through our Executive Director, Dominic O’Neill. The International Gender Champions (IGC) is a leadership network that brings together decision-makers determined to break down gender barriers and make gender equality a working reality in their spheres of influence.

According to the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP, UNICEF /WHO), of the 3.4 billion people globally who lack access to safely managed sanitation, more than half a billion share sanitation facilities with other households, impacting women’s and girls’ privacy, dignity, and safety. At present, 1 in 4 women and girls worldwide struggles to manage their menstruation safely and with dignity.

A global UN fund, SHF is dedicated to achieving universal access to sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health (MHH) through market-based approaches. SHF works with Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to catalyze financing to build robust and climate-resilient sanitation economies and MHH markets to contribute toward building an inclusive, sustainable and gender-equal future for all. 

“Through our work at SHF, we have put gender equality at the core of our mission, because we know that the lack of access to sanitation and hygiene disproportionately impacts women and girls. By expanding sanitation and hygiene services to women and girls they can also improve their health, education and economic outcomes. I take up this role as an international gender champion on behalf of the team at SHF and our inspirational Board members led by Cecilia Akintomide. Most of all, my and our commitment remains to every woman and girl who does not have access to safely managed sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health goods and services - we will continue to fight for additional investment to turn the tide on this global inequality,” said Dominic O’Neill.

As part of his engagement, Dominic has committed to the IGC pledges on zero tolerance for gender-based violence and promoting panel parity. He has also committed to consistently amplify the importance of gender equality in our work and within the SHF team. 

Learn more about the IGC here: www.genderchampions.com