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![]() Special event at UN highlights commitments to mothers and children
September 25 2008
New York- The Presidents of Chile, Finland, and Tanzania urged the world to step up their efforts to achieve MDGs 4 and 5 -improve child and maternal health. Speaking at a special event to the UN Summit on MDGs, the message was clear that the targets to reduce maternal mortality by 3/4s and child mortality by 2/3rds will not be reached by 2015 without a substantial increase in funding. At the event “Commitment to Progress for Mothers, Newborns and Children”, organized by FCI and colleague organizations, leaders from governments, UN agencies, donors, the private sector, and civil society pledged specific commitments; see Commitment to Progress for Mothers, Newborns and Children. “The world’s attention is often fleeting, focusing on the immediate crisis at hand. But our challenge is to not let the world forget: We must move MDGs 4 and 5 to a central place on global and national agendas,” says Ann Starrs, FCI’s president, in her speech on behalf of the civil society organizations. "We need to build a better world, a world where women and children don’t die simply because no one cared enough, and where the right to basic health care is respected and realized.” Click here for more.
UN-Backed Task Force Aims to Reduce Maternal Mortality
26 September 2008
NEW YORK – The United Nations, in cooperation with world leaders, launched a new task force on maternal mortality in an effort to reduce the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth and achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5. Co-chaired by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and World Bank President Robert Zoellick, it will focus on innovative financing to strengthen health care systems and pay for health care workers to potentially save the lives of 10 million women and children by 2015. The group will present their collective recommendations at next year’s G-8 meeting in Italy. “It would cost the world $6 billion, less than a day-and-a-half of military spending, to stop women from dying in childbirth,” said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of UNFPA. “We urge all governments to step up funding for reproductive health and save women’s lives.” Click here for more information.
Successes and Shortfalls: A Report on the Global Campaign for Health
26 September 2008
 New York – Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway launched the first year Progress Report on the Global Campaign for Health, which urges the international community to take action to accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs 4 and 5. “We set a goal of reducing maternal mortality by three quarters by 2015. While we see progress towards most other Millennium Goals, in this area we hardly see any change at all,” said Prime Minister Stoltenberg of Norway in a speech at the UN. “We know what to do: Delivering in safety is the single most important factor in saving the lives of mothers and newborns. More women must deliver in clinics. But poor women need financial support for travel and care.” Click here for more.
UN-endorsed initiative to train midwives could save hundreds of thousands of lives
22 September 2008
New York- UNFPA and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) have launched an initiative which could help cut maternal mortality by about 75 per cent by training midwives in developing countries. The programme will increase the number of births attended by professional midwifery providers and develop the foundations for a sustainable midwifery workforce in selected developing countries. “By investing in midwives and universal access to reproductive health, millions of lives can be saved and we can reach MDG 5, to improve maternal health,” said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA. Click here for more. |
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"Commitment to Progress for Mothers, Newborns, and Children", Special Event at the High-Level Meeting on the MDGs,
25 September 2008, New York USA
Press releases
Final commitments
Read the full list of commitments made by heads of state, heads of UN agencies, senior government officials, civil society organizations, foundations, and private sector companies.
Background information:
MDG 5 in the news
- Presidents Boost Maternal and Child Health/Read online
- Presidents of Chile, Finland and Tanzania Put Mother and Child Health on the Map/Read online
- Time Magazine: Death in Birth/Read online
- UNICEF: Report highlights risk of maternal mortality in developing world/Read online
- 500,000 Women Seen Dying in Pregnancy or Childbirth/Read online
- Action Urged on Childbirth Deaths/Read online
Watch: Webcast from the UN
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