Gender equality is not a side issue in global health, it is a prerequisite for progress. When women, girls and adolescents are denied their rights, voices and choices, health systems fail and inequalities deepen. Advancing gender equality means shifting power, investing in leadership, and ensuring that policies and financing respond to the lived realities of those most affected. It is only through gender-transformative action that we can achieve lasting gains for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being.