Geneva – In a joint statement delivered to the UN Human Rights Council, 83 Governments reaffirmed their commitment to addressing maternal mortality as a human rights issue. They called upon the Council to address the unacceptable number of women dying from pregnancy or childbirth each year. The joint statement represents one of the largest joint intergovernmental statements delivered to the Council, and the first to address maternal mortality and human rights.
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Burkina Faso’s First Lady Calls on Artists to Save Lives
March 2nd, 2009
OUAGADOUGOU - The First Lady of Burkina Faso called on the artists and storytellers of Africa to use their talents to help save the lives of the 1500 African women who die needlessly each day from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes. H.E. Mrs. Chantal Compaoré was speaking as guest of honor at the 21st Pan African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) in Ouagadougou.
UN Reception Highlights Multi-Sector Partnerships in Global Public Health
February 23rd, 2009
NEW YORK— Public and private health stakeholders came together at a United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting aimed at advancing progress in strengthening maternal and girls' health, as well as fighting neglected tropical diseases. The event, "Philanthropy and the Global Public Health Agenda," brought leaders from various nations, the global health community, biopharmaceutical companies, the media, and NGOs to highlight the power of partnerships in advancing the global public health agenda.
Obama Lifts the Global Gag Rule
January 23rd, 2009
Washington DC –U.S. President Barack Obama lifted the Global Gag Rule, also known as the "Mexico City policy," which prohibited U.S. funding for international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide life-saving family planning services.
UNICEF Report on State of the World’s Children
January 19th, 2009
JOHANNESBURG - Women in the world's least developed countries are 300 times more likely to die in childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications than women in developed countries, according to UNICEF's latest State of the World's Children report, released today.