2021 IAP Report: The Health of Women, Children and Adolescents Is at the Heart of Transforming Our World: Empowering Accountability (IAP Final Reflections Report, 2021)

Abstract

This reference summary presents key information from the Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) Final Reflections Report (2021), titled “The Health of Women, Children and Adolescents is at the Heart of Transforming our World: Empowering Accountability”. The report synthesizes lessons from five years of IAP work and a decade of Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) accountability, emphasizing that accountability is fundamentally people-centered and essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It introduces a comprehensive accountability framework based on four pillars—Commit, Justify, Implement, and Progress—supported by a continuous cycle of monitoring, review, remedy, and action, and highlights enabling conditions including democratization, institutionalization, and strong data systems. The report proposes the establishment of an Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) to strengthen global and country-level accountability and accelerate SDG progress. The analysis reflects the work of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Independent Accountability Panel for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent (IAP: Nicholas Kojo Alipui, Dame Carol Kidu, Brenda Killen, Elizabeth Mason, Giorgi Pkhakadze, Jovana Ríos Cisnero, Gita Sen, Alicia Ely Yamin, Kul Chandra Gautam, and Joy Phumaphi), reinforcing that inclusive, evidence-based, and independent accountability is critical to ensure that no woman, child, or adolescent is left behind.