Navigating power, participation, and priorities: critical reflections for Global Financing Facility new strategy

This commentary examines the learnings from different countries included in the Special Series: Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents: Examining National Priorities, Processes and Investments. Studies focused on the initial phase of the GFF and highlighted key themes, including power asymmetries, stakeholder engagement, the alignment of funding to health needs, and the treatment of community health and quality of care within GFF-supported programs. This commentary reflects on policy processes and health financing dynamics emerging from the papers in the Special Series and examines what it means for the new strategy in development by the GFF. Ultimately, the GFF remains a promising model for advancing reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition. Realizing its transformative potential, especially with the present context, will require rebalancing technical rigor with political inclusion, and aligning performance metrics with equity-centered accountability.