From Pledges to Action- A Partners’ Forum on Women’s and Children’s Health
- Co- Hosted by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
- High level political event scheduled from November 12- 14, 2010 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
- Her Excellency, The President of India will inaugurate this global Forum on 13 November 2010.
- Invitations have gone out to UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and Chair of the African Union, The President of Malawi.
This Forum is especially significant as it is a follow up the UN Secretary-General’s launching of the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health at the UN Millennium Development Goal’s Summit held in New York, 20 - 22 September, 2010.
“Each year, millions of women and children die from preventable causes. These are not mere statistics; they are people with names and faces. Their suffering is unacceptable in the 21st Century. We must, therefore, do more for the newborn who succumbs to infection for want of a simple injection: for the young boy who will never reach his full potential because of malnutrition. We must do more for the teenage girl facing an unwanted pregnancy; for the married woman who has found she is infected with the HIV virus; and for the mother who faces complications in childbirth”, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
“ Our meetings with The Partnership in India this year, to discuss the MDG’s 4 and 5 on reducing maternal and child mortality, have been extremely valuable on both a National and International basis. Together we have also tackled some of the most important related issues in India itself. These include the importance of increasing midwifery training, improving the strength and coherence of advocacy messaging in regard to reducing maternal and child deaths, promoting community and media monitoring, and addressing social determinants of maternal and child mortality in India, such as early marriage. During this year of very significant events, The Partnership is making a tremendous contribution towards progress. We look forward to even closer engagement with it this year and beyond”, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, India, Ghulam Nabi Azad.
700 participants from around the world and India, including health and development ministers, senior government and UN officials, donors, health care professionals, civil society representatives and academics will review the commitments made to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health and will identify action to be taken by the Partners. Over the past decade many countries have taken significant steps towards achieving the MDGs, but there is need for renewed energy and commitment in this last mile, particularly in regard to achieving MDGs 4, to reduce child mortality & 5, to improve maternal health.
“This year, the issue of maternal, newborn and child health has reached the top of the political agenda. From the G8 Muskoka Initiative and the African Union, to the UN Secretary General’s Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health, the world has agreed that it is time to join forces and act together in moving pledges to action”,
Dr Julio Frenk, Chair, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health
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The Forum programme is being designed with the hope of directing all efforts towards driving the key goals identified in the Global Strategy; to strengthen our resources for accountability, to share the knowledge and networks needed to scale-up models for change, and to deepen our connections across sectors and across regions to enhance financing, policies and service delivery.
Save your dates: Line up of events:
- 12 November, 2010: Formal Press Conference and Welcome Reception.
- 13 November, 2010: Inaugural ceremony of the Forum
- 14 November, 2010: Closing Ceremony of the Forum
Event will begin on Friday 12 November, 2010 in New Delhi with side events, site visits and an evening welcome reception. The Partner’s Forum will be inaugurated on 13 November, to be followed by keynote speeches, plenaries and breakout sessions through the day and through 14 November. The Forum will conclude on the evening of 14 November, which has been planned significantly to coincide with Pt Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary which is celebrated as Children’s Day in India.
About The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH):
PMNCH joins together the maternal, newborn and child health communities into an alliance of more than 300 members representing partner countries, UN and multilateral agencies, non-governmental organizations, health professional associations, bilateral donors and foundations, and academic and research institutions to ensure that all women, infants and children not only remain healthy, but thrive. The Partnership is hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. PMNCH is chaired by Dr Julio Frenk, Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health.
http://www.pmnch-forum.org/home
http://www.pmnch.org
http://www.un.org/en/mdg/summit2010