The Institute for Women’s Health Visits Brazil to Promote Advancement of Women’s Health & Strengthening of the Family 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Institute for Women’s Health Visits Brazil to Promote Advancement of Women’s Health & Strengthening of the Family 

IWH Presents President Bolsonaro With First-Ever Distinguished Award of International Honor

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 1, 2022 — Valerie Huber, president and founder of the Institute for Women’s Health (IWH), visited Brazil this week, having accepted invitations by government officials to speak at a number of events on the advancement of women’s health and the strengthening of the family. 

Huber addressed attendees from across Brazil at an event sponsored by Brazil’s Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights in Brasilia on June 28 at the International Seminar on Public Policies for the Family. There she shared IWH’s perspective on family strengthening and its impact on improved health and thriving for women and girls. Led by National Secretary for the Family Angela Gandra, the seminar centered on matters related to family policies and federal legislative initiatives in Brazil and around the world. Huber joined academics, social scientists, political leaders, and programmatic experts to discuss the “best international practices of policies to strengthen family ties and promote work-family balance.”

“The Institute for Women’s Health is committed to working with nations and its leaders to protect and improve the health and quality of life for women and girls,” Huber said. “We are dedicated problem-solvers, intent on building coalitions among nations, experts, and service providers, in order to effectively remove obstacles that stand in the way of real health gains for women and girls.”

Huber was also invited by the Secretariat of Primary Health Care (SAPS) of the Ministry of Health of Brazil (MoH) to speak at a June 28 public hearing on the topic of abortion and the guidelines “Technical Attention for Prevention, Evaluation and Conduct in Abortion Cases.” Huber presented research and made recommendations with a special emphasis on promoting women’s and girls’ health and the importance of informed consent, free from coercion. 

While in the capital city of Brasília, the IWH presented its highest award — the Distinguished Award of International Honor — to the nation of Brazil and President Bolsonaro for serving as the secretariat of the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a coalition of nations representing every region of the world committed to expanding health and thriving for women and girls.

“The Institute for Women’s Health is honored to award the inaugural Distinguished Award of International Honor to President Bolsonaro and the nation of Brazil,” said Valerie Huber. “We think it only fitting that the first-ever award goes to Brazil’s President Bolsonaro – the head of state responsible for maintaining the coalition of nations from all over the world in agreement around the four GCD priorities to improve health for women, affirm that there is no international right to abortion, protect the family as the foundation to every healthy society, and defend the sovereign right of nations to protect each of these pillars.”

About The Institute for Women’s Health

The Institute for Women’s Health is an international public policy organization advocating for the advancement of women’s and girls’ health and thriving around the world. This one-of-its-kind institute is focused on removing obstacles that prevent real health gains while building alliances in support of women’s health throughout every phase of life. No matter how young. No matter how old.

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