African Ministers of Health Join Multi-Sector Partners In Forum On Improving Women’s Health

Meeting was aimed at determining ways to accelerate progress to improve the health of girls and women in developing countries.

New York, NY, September 23 – Ministers of Health from several African countries joined high-level participants yesterday to identify programs and policies that will most effectively support the needs of disadvantaged women and girls in their countries. Timed to coincide with the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the forum focused on improving maternal health, which is one of eight global Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at ending extreme poverty and strengthening health outcomes by 2015.

Ministers of Health from Uganda, Côte d'Ivoire and Angola; Christy Turlington Burns, founder of the maternal and child health advocacy organization Every Mother Counts; and CEOs from leading organizations including Save the Children, World Vision, Africare and PATH, inspired attendees with stories of how their organizations and countries are working to improve the lives of women and girls.

Participants agreed that current and future efforts should focus on closing the gap of gender inequality, and they discussed ways to educate women and their spouses to reach consensus on the need for women’s empowerment. Understanding that problems need be addressed at the local level, participants additionally highlighted the need to improve access to quality health facilities and develop training for community health workers.  

The forum was hosted by the Princess of Africa Foundation, Women Deliver, Strategies for International Development, and Vestergaard Frandsen, and it was supported by Merck, a global healthcare leader who made a long-term commitment earlier this week to join the global fight against maternal mortality.

Of all the MDGs, MDG 5 – to reduce maternal mortality by three-fourths and achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015 – is the furthest behind. Every year, more than 350,000 girls and women die from pregnancy-related causes, and the vast majority, 99 percent, of maternal deaths occur in developing countries.  

“Investing in women is not only the right thing to do—it has far-reaching economic and social benefits as well,” said Jill Sheffield, founder and president of Women Deliver.  According to USAID, the world loses $15 billion every year in productivity because of maternal and newborn mortality. “When women do well, families flourish, communities thrive, and nations grow,” said Sheffield.  

Participants of the forum acknowledged that no single group, organization, or sector can accomplish this goal alone. “When we all join together – advocates, health workers, the private sector, youth, politicians and NGO leaders – we can all make a difference,” said Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO of Vestergaard Frandsen. “Life-saving solutions are out there. We can work together to prioritize them, fund them, and implement them. And at the same time, we need to develop new solutions and innovative ideas.”

Renowned African singer and public health advocate Yvonne Chaka Chaka, founder of the Princess of Africa Foundation, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and Ambassador for Roll-Back Malaria, summed up the tone of the forum when she said, “As we gather for this meeting in New York, we are committing ourselves to help thousands of women and girls across the globe who are less fortunate than we are. This will only be accomplished if we invest the time and resources into intelligent, actionable plans that will have tangible results.”

Every Mother Counts: Every Mother Counts was founded by Christy Turlington Burns upon completion of her directorial debut, NO WOMAN, NO CRY. The film gives the issue of maternal health a face and challenges viewers to learn more and take action. Now in its second year, Every Mother Counts is an advocacy and mobilization campaign to increase education and support for maternal and child health. Every Mother Counts seeks to engage new audiences to better understand the challenges and the solutions while encouraging them to take action to improve the lives of girls and women worldwide. The keystone of the campaign is http://www.everymothercounts.org an in,teractive platform providing the tools to raise awareness, education and action.

Princess of Africa Foundation: Founded by the "Princess of Africa," world-renowned South African singer and humanitarian Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the Foundation seeks to promote health of women and children, particularly in the areas of malaria, HIV/AIDS, and sanitation.

Vestergaard Frandsen: Vestergaard Frandsen is a European company specializing in disease control products that operates under a unique “humanitarian entrepreneurship” business model. The company has turned corporate social responsibility into its core business of creating life-saving products for the developing world. Vestergaard Frandsen supports the countries in which it works to reach the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals with products designed to prevent water- and vector-borne diseases. For more information please visit: http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com

Women Deliver: Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization that brings together voices from around the world to call for improved health and well being for girls and women. Launched in 2007, Women Deliver works globally to generate political commitment and financial investment for fulfilling Millennium Development Goal #5 — to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health. Building off the groundbreaking conferences Women Deliver convened in 2007 and 2010, the initiative harnesses commitments, partnerships, and networks to help prevent the approximately 350,000 deaths of girls and women from pregnancy-related causes that occur every year. Women Deliver’s message is that maternal health is both a human right and a practical necessity for sustainable development. Invest in women—it pays.