http://www.womendeliver.org/updates Women Deliver News en info@womendeliver.org Copyright 2012 2012-05-21T18:50:55+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/save-the-childrens-2012-state-of-the-worlds-mothers-report http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/save-the-childrens-2012-state-of-the-worlds-mothers-report#When:17:01:53Z This year’s thirteenth annual State of the World’s Mothers report features more than 60 countries and a foreword by USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah. Filled with ground-breaking research, this year’s report focuses on the importance of nutrition during the first 1,000 days between pregnancy and a child’s second birthday. This year’s report also includes their annual Mother’s Index, ranking the best and worst countries in which to be a mother based on health and status indicators for women and children in 165 counties. Norway, as in 2011, ranks first; Niger, replacing Afghanistan in 2011, ranks last. The United States comes in at #25 among the 43 developed countries ranked. Eight of the 10 worst countries to be a mother are in sub-Saharan Africa. We must continue to work to ensure that moms everywhere can care for their kids. Read more... News, 2012-05-17T17:01:53+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/new-report-indicates-a-global-reduction-in-maternal-deaths http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/new-report-indicates-a-global-reduction-in-maternal-deaths#When:15:05:03Z A new report launched today by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank found that maternal deaths have fallen by nearly 50 percent over the past two decades, demonstrating that global investments in maternal and reproductive health programs are having a measurable impact around the world. According to the report, the number of maternal deaths around the world has dropped from 543,000 in 1990 to 287,000 in 2010 – a 47% decline. Additionally, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR, or number of women dying for every 100,000 live births) declined from 400 in 1990 to 210 in 2010. This new data comes at a critical time, with just three years remaining before the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). MDG 5 aims to reduce maternal deaths by 75 percent globally. Read more... News, 2012-05-16T15:05:03+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/nigeria-should-invest-in-family-planning-supplies-programmes http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/nigeria-should-invest-in-family-planning-supplies-programmes#When:22:28:19Z By: Sola Ogundipe; Originally posted on Vanguard WITH a 20 percent unmet need for family planning in Nigeria, the need  to invest in country-specific family planning supplies and programmes has been stressed. President of the Women Deliver, Jill Sheffield who disclosed this in an interview, said: “Nigeria should invest in family planning supplies and programmes, which would drastically reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, maternal deaths, newborn deaths, and unsafe abortions.” Read more... News, 2012-05-15T22:28:19+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/midwives-around-the-world-recognized-on-may-5 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/midwives-around-the-world-recognized-on-may-5#When:17:18:13Z By: Smita Gaith, Women DeliverMay 5 is International Day of the Midwife, a globally recognized day to acknowledge the life-saving work of midwives. According to the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), more than 340,000 women die preventable maternal deaths each year, and according to the World Health Organization, this number rose to 358,000 in 2008. For every woman who dies, an additional twenty experience infection, injury or disability. Read more... News, 2012-05-04T17:18:13+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/we-must-act-to-save-our-mothers-and-our-sisters http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/we-must-act-to-save-our-mothers-and-our-sisters#When:14:00:41Z By: Deusdedit Ruhangariyo; Originally posted on NewVisionNargis Shirazi was one of the Women Deliver sponsored youth participants at the 2012 Africa Regional ConferenceOn 27-28 March, policymakers, advocates and researchers from across sub-Saharan Africa gathered at Speke Resort Munyonyo, in Kampala, Uganda, to reaffirm national and regional commitments to Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 – reducing maternal mortality and ensuring universal access to reproductive health - reducing maternal mortality and ensuring universal access to reproductive health. Read more... News, 2012-05-03T14:00:41+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/new-global-report-15-million-babies-born-too-soon-over-1-million-die-each-y http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/new-global-report-15-million-babies-born-too-soon-over-1-million-die-each-y#When:17:00:54Z Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth. The report shows the extent to which preterm birth is on the rise in most countries, and is now the second leading cause of death globally for children under five, after pneumonia. Addressing preterm birth is now an urgent priority for reaching Millennium Development Goal 4, calling for the reduction of child deaths by two-thirds by 2015. This report shows that rapid change is possible and identifies priority actions for everyone. Read more... News, 2012-05-02T17:00:54+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/united-nations-adopts-landmark-resolution-on-adolescents-and-youth http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/united-nations-adopts-landmark-resolution-on-adolescents-and-youth#When:21:20:02Z Late Friday, 27 April 2012, at the 45th Session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development (CPD), member states issued a bold resolution in support of young people’s sexual and reproductive health and human rights.This victory comes on the heels of a UNICEF report released this week highlighting the challenges that the largest-ever generation of young people face—including HIV/AIDS, violence, and unintended pregnancy—and reaffirms long-standing international agreements including the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action. Read more... News, 2012-04-30T21:20:02+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/every-child-deserves-a-5th-birthday-campaign-begins http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/every-child-deserves-a-5th-birthday-campaign-begins#When:21:21:45Z The US Agency for International Development (USAID), a member organization of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health has launched their “Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday” campaign this week.  According to the website, fifth birthdays are regarded as a milestone birthday after which one is much more likely to survive into adulthood. Seven million children die before their fifth birthday, and many of these are preventable deaths in developing countries. Read more... News, 2012-04-26T21:21:45+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/ipas-calls-for-youth-development-support-at-un-commission-on-population-and http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/ipas-calls-for-youth-development-support-at-un-commission-on-population-and#When:21:04:57Z Oral Statement delivered by: Cecilia Espinoza, Youth Program Associate from Ipas at the United Nations Commission on Population and Development 2012 Oral Statement by Ipasat the 45th Session of the Commission of Population and Development on the theme:Adolescents and youthApril 2012 My name is Cecilia Espinoza, I am from Nicaragua and I am speaking on behalf of Ipas, an international NGO working with local, national and global partners to ensure that women can obtain safe, respectful and comprehensive abortion care, including counseling and contraception to prevent future unintended pregnancies. Young women especially are often seriously harmed by the lack of such care. I would like to tell you about one of them today.Read more... News, 2012-04-26T21:04:57+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/rwanda-mps-agree-on-abortion http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/rwanda-mps-agree-on-abortion#When:17:00:02Z By: James Karuhanga; Originally posted on allAfrica.com Members of the Chamber of Deputies, yesterday, passed the draft Penal Code, with the majority voting in favour of an article that permits abortion under special circumstances. The critical vote came after the House received and approved a report of an earlier established joint Chamber of deputies-Senate committee to review the bill. Seven women MPs abstained from voting for or against Article 165, which absolves criminal liability for exceptional abortion cases, arguing it was hazardous to the Rwandan society.  Read more... News, 2012-04-10T17:00:02+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/op-ed-family-planning-a-force-for-good-across-africa http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/op-ed-family-planning-a-force-for-good-across-africa#When:15:15:15Z By: Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Originally posted in The Independent (Uganda) Last year, I visited a mother's group in the Korogocho slum in Nairobi to learn more about family planning in Africa. At the end of our conversation, a woman named Mary Ann told me something I'll never forget. She said she plans her family because she wants to "bring every good thing" to one child before she has another. That desire to bring every good thing to our children must be universal, because it is also why my husband and I planned our family. We have three children, and we spaced them three years apart so we could give each one the attention they deserved. One billion people around the world use contraception for the very same reason. Read more... News, 2012-04-10T15:15:15+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/international-organizations-convene-for-rio20-discussions http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/international-organizations-convene-for-rio20-discussions#When:16:03:33Z By: Smita Gaith, Women Deliver Last month, staff from Women Deliver met with high-level members of several international organizations focused on the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of women and youth. The meeting was organized to discuss the lack of emphasis on gender, SRHR, and young people in the Zero Draft document for Rio+20, which takes place this June. The Rio+20 summit, a UN conference on sustainability, will include seven priority areas: decent jobs, energy, sustainable cities, food security and sustainable agriculture, water, oceans and disaster readiness. Despite the undisputed link between women’s health, reproductive rights, and family planning accessibility with these priorities, gender- and SRHR-related topics have not received as much attention as many believe it should have. Read more... News, 2012-04-05T16:03:33+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/inter-parliamentary-union-assembly-debates-first-resolution-on-maternal-new http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/inter-parliamentary-union-assembly-debates-first-resolution-on-maternal-new#When:21:35:51Z The 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly took place in Kampala, Uganda from March 31 to April 5. This meeting was the first time the IPU has debated a resolution on maternal, newborn and child health. The resolution was drafted in September by the governments of Canada, India, and Uganda, and is known as ‘Access to Health as a Basic Right: The Role of Parliaments in Addressing Key Challenges to Securing the Health of Women and Children.’ The IPU Assembly, which meets every year as a focal point for worldwide parliamentary dialogue, drew over 600 members of parliament from more than 120 countries to Kampala, Uganda. Read more... News, 2012-04-04T21:35:51+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/women-deliver-2013-apply-for-a-scholarship http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/women-deliver-2013-apply-for-a-scholarship#When:15:03:30Z Women Deliver is excited to announce that all scholarship applications for Women Deliver 2013 are open today. There are two different scholarship applications - one for young people who will be under 30-years-old at the time of the conference and one for those who will be 30-years-old or over at the time of the conference. All scholarship applications are due April 23, 2012. We will offer full scholarships to a select number of participants in order to maximize participation from those who are traditionally under-represented; namely, young people and those from the Global South. This support includes conference registration, round-trip economy class airfare, hotel accomodations and a fixed stipend for visa fees and other incidentals. Read more... News, 2012-03-26T15:03:30+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/un-launches-commission-on-life-saving-commodities-for-women-and-children http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/un-launches-commission-on-life-saving-commodities-for-women-and-children#When:14:23:22Z NEW YORK, 23 March 2012 – UNICEF and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, today launched a high-level commission to improve access to essential but overlooked health supplies that could save the lives of millions of women and children every year. “Making sure that women and children have the medicines and other supplies they need is critical for our push to achieve the MDGs,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “The Commission will tackle an overlooked but vital aspect of health systems, and ensure that women and children are protected from preventable causes of death and disease.” Read more... News, 2012-03-23T14:23:22+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/countdown-update-fosters-country-accountability-supports-global-strategy http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/countdown-update-fosters-country-accountability-supports-global-strategy#When:20:59:27Z As follow-up to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, Countdown to 2015 released Accountability for Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival: An update on progress in priority countries, with updated profiles on high-burden priority countries that account for over 95% of maternal and child deaths. The report will be launched at the 126th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which takes place in Kampala, Uganda from 31 March through 5 April 2012. Read more... News, 2012-03-22T20:59:27+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/dfid-to-host-family-planning-summit http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/dfid-to-host-family-planning-summit#When:18:53:39Z The UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) has announced that this July, it will host a Family Planning summit with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners.  The event signals a major political commitment as well commitments by donors, corporations, and others to work towards meeting family planning needs, such as information, services, and supplies, for developing countries by 2020. Read more... News, 2012-03-08T18:53:39+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/norway-releases-white-paper-on-global-health http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/norway-releases-white-paper-on-global-health#When:23:23:40Z Last month, the Norwegian government released the first ever white paper on global health. By mapping out health priorities within the context of development strategies, this paper serves as a blueprint to achieving optimal health outcomes for girls and women worldwide. Read more... News, 2012-03-06T23:23:40+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/launch-of-first-ever-global-map-of-devastating-childbirth-injury http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/launch-of-first-ever-global-map-of-devastating-childbirth-injury#When:17:58:49Z SANTA BARBARA, CA/ SAN JOSE, CA/ UNITED NATIONS, New York—The largest and most comprehensive map of available services for women living with obstetric fistula was launched today by Direct Relief International, the Fistula Foundation, and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. The release of the Global Fistula Map, a major step forward in understanding the landscape of worldwide treatment capacity for obstetric fistula, will help streamline the allocation of resources and raise awareness of the condition. Obstetric fistula, one of the most devastating childbirth injuries, is caused by the lack of a skilled birth attendant and access to emergency care during delivery. It is a highly stigmatizing, though in most cases treatable condition that results from prolonged, obstructed labor and causes chronic incontinence. According to currently accepted estimates, there are some 50,000-100,000 new cases every year. Read more... News, 2012-03-01T17:58:49+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/usaid-calls-for-second-round-of-applicants-for-saving-lives-at-birth-grand- http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/usaid-calls-for-second-round-of-applicants-for-saving-lives-at-birth-grand-#When:21:31:30Z Calling all innovators: Do you have an “audacious but achievable” idea to prevent or treat the causes of maternal and neonatal deaths? If so, then it’s time to prepare an application for the second round of grants for the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development. USAID, Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and the World Bank have released a request for applications to award $18 million in Saving Lives at Birth grants in fiscal year 2012. Read more... News, 2012-02-29T21:31:30+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/voting-for-the-women-deliver-50-is-open http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/voting-for-the-women-deliver-50-is-open#When:23:24:19Z Voting is now closed! We received almost 6,000 votes and the winners will be announced on March 7th. We received more than 500 submissions in the following categories: Advocacy and Awareness Campaigns, Technologies and Innovations, Educational Initiatives, Health Interventions, and Leadership and Empowerment Programs. A selection committee of experts and advocates from leading global NGOs and foundations chose 25 per category. The top 125 are posted here, and voters may choose their 10 favorites, per category. The 50 winners will be announced on March 7th, and they will be featured prominently on Women Deliver's website, through the selection committee's social media portals, and at the Women Deliver 2013 conference in Kuala Lumpur. Read more... News, 2012-02-22T23:24:19+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/women-need-access-to-dual-protectioneffective-contraceptives-and-hiv-preven http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/women-need-access-to-dual-protectioneffective-contraceptives-and-hiv-preven#When:16:55:28Z WHO recommendations related to use of hormonal contraceptives remain unchanged. The use of condoms—male and female—is a reliable method of HIV prevention. GENEVA, 16 February 2012—A stakeholder consultation convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva has reviewed recent epidemiological studies related to HIV transmission and acquisition by women using hormonal contraceptives. After careful review of all available evidence, the stakeholders found that the data were not sufficiently conclusive to change current guidance. Read more...  News, 2012-02-17T16:55:28+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/healthy-mama-healthy-baby-exhibit-opens http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/healthy-mama-healthy-baby-exhibit-opens#When:15:20:31Z What are the realities of 21st century pregnancy and childbirth? What factors affect if a woman’s labor has a successful, or tragic, outcome? Explore this issue in the Healthy Mama, Healthy Baby gallery in the International Museum of Women’s MAMA: Motherhood Around the Globe exhibition! Facts, art, multimedia, blogs and stories on the site all tell the story of motherhood around the globe. In the video below, mothers from around the world share their stories of pregnancy and childbirth.   News, 2012-02-16T15:20:31+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/women-deliver-2013-youth-scholarship-application-opens http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/women-deliver-2013-youth-scholarship-application-opens#When:14:00:11Z Women Deliver is excited to announce that the Youth Scholarship application for Women Deliver 2013 opens today for young people who will be under 30 years old at the time of the conference! We will offer full scholarships to a select number of participants in order to maximize participation from those who are traditionally under-represented; namely, young people and those from the Global South. This support includes conference registration, round-trip economy class airfare, hotel accomodations and a fixed stipend for visa fees and other incidentals. Read more... News, 2012-02-15T14:00:11+00:00 http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/obamas-contraception-compromise-should-satisfy-all-sides http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/obamas-contraception-compromise-should-satisfy-all-sides#When:22:03:39Z Originally posted in the Daily News By: Frances Kissling, Senior Advisor to Women Deliver One of those thorny, negotiate-for-two-generations-and-still-kill-each-other battles has been going on for months in Washington over the definition of a religious institution and whether such groups will need to comply with administration policy requiring employers to offer contraceptive coverage to their employees. Read more... News, 2012-02-10T22:03:39+00:00