By: Jennifer James; orginally posted at Impatient Optimist
Next month world leaders will converge upon Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from June 20 – 22, for Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (commonly called the “Earth Summit”). Women's groups are pushing to become a major part of the agenda as women continue to be marginalized when it comes to poverty eradication and sustainable development.
The vast majority of the world’s poor are women and children--even twenty years after the first sustainability conference in Rio. It’s one reason why the Women’s Major Group, which includes international sustainable development organizations, is calling for women to share their stories and make their voices heard to ensure women’s issues are not shuffled off the agenda. Read more...
Although many maternal and newborn deaths in developing countries are preventable, they still occur at alarmingly high rates. Whereas in developed countries, the maternal mortality rate is estimated to be 16 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, developing countries see maternal mortality rates 
Despite the quiet and formal surroundings of Dr. Aminu Mai’s office, matters of birth and death are always at the front of his mind. As an obstetrician in Nigeria, where one expectant mother dies every 10 minutes through no fault of her own, Dr. Mai spends a lot of time thinking about how closely the two events are linked – and how important it is that the country’s birth attendants receive updated information and training to save lives. 
2012 has been a breakthrough year for reproductive health. On 22 May, 2012, the Honourable Joy Phumaphi, former Minister of Health Botswana, presented the 2012 Resolve Award to government representatives from four countries who have embodied these gains: Ethiopia, Malawi, Nepal, and Rwanda.