Special Programming Initiatives (SPIs)

31 March 2026

| Report

Overview

The WHO Department of Gender, Rights, Equity and Sexual Misconduct Prevention (GEM) supports system-wide accountability and drives the integration – or “mainstreaming” – of gender responsive, rights-based and equity-centred approaches across WHO’s work.

GEM has developed six Special Programming Initiatives (SPIs), found in the document titled Pathways to Impact. The primary aim is to drive meaningful, measurable and transformative health outcomes through initiatives at the country level, supported by regional efforts and guided by normative leadership from WHO headquarters.

These initiatives complement and enhance WHO’s broader programming by offering comprehensive theories of change and clear causal pathways between the outputs, activities and outcomes necessary for achieving meaningful health transformation. Their ultimate purpose is to create clear, measurable links between actions and results, helping WHO to remain responsive and relevant in a changing world, while advancing gender equality, equity and rights.

The six Special Programming Initiatives:

Decision-making and investments for gender-responsive PHC-orientated health systems
Systematic generation and use of sex, gender and health data and evidence
Integration of gender equality, human rights and equity considerations in digital health strategies, services and tools
Advancing Indigenous Peoples’ health and well-being through rights-based approaches
Health equity and resilience in the world’s rural and remote areas
Measurement of unmet health care needs and barriers to effective coverage with health services

WHO Team

Gender, Rights and Equity - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (GRE)

Editors

Programme for Gender Equality, Human Rights & Health Equity

Number of pages