To the African Heads of State,
(Télécharger la version française)
It is a simple truth: The Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved in Africa without addressing sexual and reproductive health. In 2006, recognizing that women and girls deliver enormous social and economic benefits to their families, communities, and nations, the African Union boldly adopted a short-term plan to achieve the MDGs and save women’s lives in their continent: The Maputo Plan of Action. You understood the needs and realities of your countries, you came together, and you adopted a plan that moved sexual and reproductive health higher on Africa’s political agenda. We commend you for taking the lead in addressing sexual and reproductive health, including maternal health and family planning.
Now, the Maputo Plan of Action is about to expire, and we’re calling on you to reenergize your efforts to achieve the goals that you set in 2006. It’s time to build on the legacy of the Maputo Plan, and to move forward with renewed determination to save the lives of millions of women and girls.
At the Summit of the African Union next week, it is time to revisit the Maputo Plan of Action, to recognize the progress that has been made, and to get all African countries onboard the implementation of the plan. In May 2009, the African Union launched the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA). The Maputo Plan of Action and CARMMA represent the two targets of MDG5, reducing maternal mortality and assuring universal access to reproductive health. These complementary efforts will increase the attention and commitment to the end result – achieving MDG5 (and others) by 2015.
We are asking you to recommit to making the Maputo Plan of Action a reality and to moving Africa toward social and economic sustainability. At the Summit of the African Union, we hope you will:
- Invest in family planning – a ‘quick win’ to substantially reduce maternal mortality. The world must commit another US $12 billion a year to fulfill the unmet need for family planning and provide every woman with the recommended standard of maternal and newborn care.
- Prioritize young people to ensure access to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services.
- Strengthen health systems, prioritizing sexual and reproductive health through targeting policies, programs, and budgeting.
- Advance and protect human rights for girls and women.
We know how to save the lives of girls and women through cost-effective solutions: family planning programs; skilled care for mothers and newborns before, during, and after childbirth, including emergency obstetric care; and safe abortion, when and where legal. And, we know how women who survive pregnancy and childbirth can deliver for the world. You’ve already set out the plan. Now, we need to work together to implement these solutions so that together we can reduce maternal and newborn deaths and harness that power for increased productivity, strong health systems, empowered girls with greater potential, and a more prosperous world for us all.
Invest in women - it pays!
Signed,
Jill Sheffield
President, Women Deliver
Entry Comments
I am Medical Consultant & Project
Director of SCIR-NGO-HIV/AIDS at
Kolkata,India.As intregrated team
with trained health worker to do
preventive-curative for community
work which already going on,need
more advance modern way to do,supported by developed countries & follow-up.
We should all strive to commit to this struggle for the achievement of the MDGs and the overall development of the citizenry especially women.
I support this campaign to drastically reduce maternal mortality in Africa
we need to implement every working strategy and plan to reeach the goals we want to achieve. i totally ssupport this.
The scientists,physicians,economist,politicians and all other concerned body should fight to aliviate the problem of the underserved women.
L’atteinte des OMD 4 et 5 sera possible quand les décideurs comprendrons qu’il ne faut attendre que les femmes et les viennent à l’hôpital quand elles ont déjà des problème mais c’est quand nous les professionnels de la santé irons à leur rencontre dans la communauté avant que les problèmes n’arrivent. C’est dans cette optique que nous avons initié une formation des accoucheuses communautaires du niveau bac. en RD CONGO. Que ceux qui le peuvent nous aident avec une documentation et le matériel de démonstration pour une meilleure formation de nos élèves.
The under served mothers and childrens of today needs our support please let us work together to alivate their problem .Let us sing together .
Leaders of the world please respond to the voice of the women in the world especially African women
I am really supporting this
The Maputo Plan of Action was an excellent document that links well to CARMMA. The world needs more wonderful champions from Africa to lead the way in meeting MDG5 goals.
May God instill in ou the Wisdom to fullfill the stratergies put forward with sincerity.REMEMBER ,SAVING A WOMAN MEANS SAVING AND SPARING H WORLD!
To the African Presidents
Let words be followed by deeds, it is good to make a decision but implementation is the key success in acheiving MDG5. Africa is rich, channel the resources to the appropriate ends.
Je suis d’avis que les OMD ne seront pas à la date buttoir; au Sénégal, même si de très bons résultats sont notés concernant l’OMD 6, pour le VIH/SIDA, le paludisme et la tuberculose, les OMD 4 et 5 ne sont pas mesurables par défaut de chiffres récents.
Please support such a crucial plan of action towards maternity protection.
I lost one of my closest friends in childbirth. An experience which was supposed to be a blessing and a miracle became a nightmare. Women should not die giving life. We cannot bring my friend back but we can join our voices and take action to save the lives of women worldwide
Action is needed, and fast too.
MDGs 4, 5, 6 are very vitalfor maternal and child health
I strongly support this! More women with disabilities are dying everyday during childbirth because of lack of access to maternal health services. More women have been reported disabled because of the lack of skilled traditional birth attendant in rural areas. More children are dying or becoming disabled due to complication arising from childbirth, simply because of the lack of good facilities at hospitals/maternities-Weak health systems.
Please Act Now! Work to achieve MDG 5, we need your collective POLITICAL WILL. We know it is possible and we know you can do it!
I salute you all in the name of solidarity. The achievement of the Millennium Development Goals -MDGs, is fundamental to the African continent. To achieve this laudable initiative, there should be a political will of all African Heads of States. Together, with collective efforts they will surely make a difference. The sky is their limit. If African leaders shun their obligations to seek to improve and strengthen healthcare delivery system especially for the vulnerable, women, teenagers and children, history will never, ever forgive them.
Access to free and affordable healthcare is prerogative, and an exclusive right with the principle of fundamental justice by which the African leaders cannot and should not deny the people they govern.
On this premise, as member of the transnational NGO community, My Organization “The Kaicombey Foundation For Sustainable Development – THE KAICOMBEY FOUNDATION” is pleased to join forces with other actors for a call for action to all African Leaders, and hereby urge them the urgency of the current. It is indeed time for all Africa leaders to ad hear to their signatories, an obligatory commitment they signed, “The Maputo Plan of Action. I am pleased for partnership with any NGO in solidarity of this initiative.
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our website to you for further comments and suggestions. Website: www.kaicombeyfoundation.org . Thanks for stopping by .
Faithfully submitted by
Victor Kaicombey
Chapter Rep. and country Director – Canada, North America Chapter
‘Not what you say that matters but what you do to make an objective memory’. Victor Kaicombey
Women issuses arf very important and dear to me especially when it comes violence against women which has become one major problem at the moment in which we need to talk about. Please i am ever willing to join forces with each and every one of you to stop violence against women and women deliver
African leaders should keep up with all promises to deliver to the healthcare of it’s nationals for a quality economic drive
If there is proper time to take action, the time is now. There has been a lot of talking, now is the time for doing. Our leader must show why they are leader.
Family Planing saves lives!
We need to do everything to reduce maternal deaths especially in Africa and Asia.
Violence against women and safe motherhood is the most important issue, we need to act seriouly on this.Let us be united and work for it.
The Medical Women’s International Association encourages such strategies to help attain MDG5