Poverty and poor health go hand in hand. Poverty limits access to healthcare, nutrition, clean water, and sanitation. At the same time, poor health traps people in poverty. Breaking this cycle requires bold global health efforts. At its core, poor health stems from political, social, and economic injustices - which is why we tackle both root causes and symptoms.
The toll is clearest in low-income countries, where conditions like TB and malnutrition remain top killers, while they are easily prevented or treated elsewhere.
There has been progress: since 1990, extreme poverty has dropped from 43.6% to under 10%. But the COVID-19 pandemic reversed some of these gains, pushing 50 million more people into poverty in a single year.
Recovery has been slow, and without urgent action, nearly 7% of the world could still be living in extreme poverty by 2030.
Furthermore, aid cuts threaten this fragile progress. They jeopardize efforts to end deadly diseases and stop outbreaks before they spread. In this context, lives are likely to be lost, and regions destabilized.
Good health is a human right. That’s why our advocacy focuses where it matters most: on health issues that are underfunded, overlooked, or critical to ending poverty. As climate shocks, conflict, and economic crises compound, mobilizing world leaders and global health initiatives behind the most impactful interventions has never been more urgent.
Across all our priority issues, we aim to transform health systems from being centered around diseases and institutions to being designed by and for the people they serve. We push governments at all levels to underscore the importance of action beyond the health sector to pursue a whole-of-government approach to health, including health-in-all-policies and a strong focus on equity and interventions that include the whole person and community.
Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, claiming 1.25 million lives in 2023 alone and over a billion in the past two centuries. It strikes people in the prime of their lives, leaving devastation in its wake. TB is not only a physical illness but also a source of stigma, discrimination, financial hardship, isolation, and emotional distress. Despite being preventable and curable, TB continues to affect over 10 million people each year. In Canada, the disease persists among marginalized groups, particularly Indigenous and newcomer communities, highlighting deep health inequities even at home.
TB remains neglected, having never received the global attention or urgency that has been directed at other epidemics. Political commitment and financial investment have lagged behind what’s needed to end one of the world's oldest epidemics. Less than half of the global funding needs for TB are being met, and outdated tools for diagnosis and treatment are slowing progress. As a result, drug-resistant TB is an increasing concern, accounting for a third of all deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance. In 2023, only 2 in 5 people with drug-resistant TB accessed the care they needed, leading to worse outcomes and the spread of disease.
To stop the spread, prevent drug resistance, and end avoidable deaths, we must reach all people affected by TB with timely diagnosis, effective treatment, and quality care. Investing in TB is not only a moral imperative — it is essential to global health security and pandemic preparedness. The world cannot afford to ignore TB any longer.
Progress on maternal and child health is stalling, and recent setbacks risk undoing decades of progress. Far-right movements, shrinking aid budgets, and rising debt are threatening access to essential services. Development assistance for women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health is projected to drop by nearly 34% by 2026.
Every two minutes, a woman dies from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, most in regions where access to contraception, safe abortion, and skilled care is limited. Nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended, and unsafe abortions remain a leading cause of maternal mortality. At the same time, another woman dies every two minutes from cervical cancer—a preventable disease with different solutions. The HPV vaccine could avert up to 560,000 deaths every year, yet coverage remains dangerously low in the countries that need it most.
Sub-Saharan Africa bears a disproportionate share of both burdens: 70% of maternal deaths and 23% of global cervical cancer mortality. Nineteen of the 20 countries with the highest cervical cancer burden are in this region.
Child health gains are also at risk. Thanks to immunization and better nutrition, under-five mortality has dropped by more than half since 2000. But progress is stalling. In 2023, 4.8 million children died before their fifth birthday—most from preventable causes such as infections, birth complications, and poor nutrition. Fragile and conflict-affected states made up just 25% of global births, but nearly half of under-five deaths. Children in the poorest households and rural areas, and those born to mothers with limited education, face the highest risks.
We know what works: vaccines, nutrition, contraception, safe abortion, and quality care before, during, and after birth. But too many women and children are being left behind. Now more than ever, the world must protect women and child health and scale up access to these interventions to ensure every woman and child not only survives but thrives.
As conflict, climate shocks, and rising inequality fuel a global nutrition crisis, the most marginalized - especially women, girls, and children - are being pushed further to the brink. Without the right nutrition at the right time, children’s brains and bodies cannot fully develop, and their immune systems are left dangerously weak.
Women and girls often eat least and last. They sit at the intersection of multiple inequalities: less power, lower pay, and limited access to education and health care. Today, more than one billion women and girls suffer from undernutrition, including severe deficiencies in essential micronutrients. The consequences ripple across generations: anemic mothers are more likely to give birth to undernourished babies at risk of wasting and stunting, leading to weakened defenses against infectious diseases, impaired cognitive development, and deaths that could have been prevented.
And yet, despite its staggering toll - an estimated $761 billion in lost economic productivity each year - nutrition remains deeply underfunded.
Nutrition is not just a health issue; it’s a cornerstone of global stability, resilience, and pandemic preparedness. Malnutrition compromises immune systems, increases susceptibility to disease, and strains already overburdened health systems.
We have the tools to act. Early detection, treatment, and access to therapeutic foods can prevent and even reverse child malnutrition, saving lives and laying the foundation for healthier, more equitable societies.
Global health research and development (R&D) is one of the cornerstones upon which progress in global health and increased life expectancy have been achieved. New technologies and innovations have the potential to save and improve lives, drive economic growth, and strengthen health security. However, global health R&D remains critically underfunded, impeding the world’s ability to respond to evolving health crises and prepare for future threats.
Investments in R&D across the continuum of care, from vaccines to diagnostic tools and treatments, are critical to curbing the spread of disease. Equally important are investments that ensure equitable access to these innovations—closing the gap between scientific breakthroughs and the communities that need them most. Without strong access mechanisms, life-saving tools often fail to reach people living in poverty, those in conflict settings, or communities already burdened by climate-driven health challenges. Ensuring that all people can benefit from medical progress is essential not only to tackle today’s health inequities, but also to prepare for the inevitable pandemics of the future. In a rapidly changing world, access must be a central pillar of global health innovation.
Canadian civil society organizations are concerned by the Government of Canada’s reduced pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, announced today at the Eighth Replenishment Summit in Johannesburg. Canada pledged $1.02 billion, which represents an almost 16% cut from its previous pledge in 2022. Communities affected by HIV, TB and malaria, […]
This past weekend, we were welcomed by our incredible volunteers in Surrey and Victoria, British Columbia! It was an opportunity to connect, learn, and take action to end the malnutrition crisis. And a shot of renewed energy and inspiration.
The Prime Minister must make a strong Canadian pledge to the Global Fund and attend its Replenishment Summit. Time is running out, take action now!
Canada has a strong legacy of leadership in global nutrition. A renewed commitment and investment are critical to address malnutrition.
Canada has long demonstrated its legacy as a global health leader through its role as a founding partner and/or leading donor of global health initiatives like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, the Global Financing Facility (GFF) for Women, Children and Adolescents, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), and TB REACH.
Canada has also played a historic role in establishing global initiatives to support women and children’s health. Canada spearheaded the Muskoka Initiative in 2010, a G8 policy focusing on investment in maternal, newborn, and child health. Canada’s contribution of $7.3 billion was leveraged by the G8 Summit and then multiplied by the United Nations for a substantial total investment of $40 billion.
Canada also made a historic pledge to support the Thrive Agenda, committing $1.4 billion annually starting in 2023 to support women and children’s health and reproductive rights around the world. Canada was also one of the few countries that made their fair share contribution to the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a collaborative mechanism that accelerates the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
Canada’s commitments to global health are grounded in principles of gender equity and the empowerment of women and girls, as outlined by its Feminist International Assistance Policy. The policy includes Canada’s vision for international assistance as eradicating poverty and building a more peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous world, through the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Recognizing the multi-dimensional nature of poverty, the policy works across multiple action areas, including human dignity, equitable economic growth, environment and climate action, inclusive governance, and peace and security.
Since our formation in 1986, Results Canada has been fighting for health equity. And winning. In the last few years alone, Results has seen major progress.
ending tuberculosis
women and children’s health
2024 global immunization coverage (explained by Gavi)
Impact of emergency vaccine response (explained by Gavi)
United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), Report 2024
