Updates

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...

Last night, maternal health advocate Robin Lim accepted the CNN 2011 Hero of the Year award, telling the audience, “Every mother counts, and health care is a human right.” Lim is the founder of the Yayasan Bumi Sehat health clinics in Indonesia which provide free antenatal, birthing and postnatal care; capacity-building and training for local midwives; and community outreach on maternal health. Read more...

The United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women is accepting applications for its 16th grant cycle (2011) from government authorities, civil society organizations and networks — including non-governmental, women’s and community-based organizations and coalitions, and operational research institutions — and UN Country Teams (in partnership with governments and civil society organizations). Read more...  

September 19, 2011, New York. Today, as world leaders gather at the United Nations for a historic health-focused summit to plan the world's response to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), thousands from around the world are demanding action. These women — and some men — from more than 95 countries are signatories on an online petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/women-demand-a-healthy-future-free-of-chronic-disease), the first activity of a new movement, Women for a Healthy Future. The petition is still open – we encourage women to sign. Read more...

Helping women around the world gain universal access to reproductive health supplies demands that the development community pursue three strategies across the next five “especially critical” years, according to the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition. This period will see the global community intensify efforts to meet Millennium Development Goal 5 to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters and achieve universal access to reproductive health. Read more...

As the world population approaches 7 billion, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, launches a global initiative today to highlight the challenges, opportunities and actions that will shape our common future.

World Population Day, 11 July, is the start of a worldwide advocacy effort that will continue through 31 October, when the United Nations projects world population will surpass 7 billion, and beyond. The 7 Billion Actions campaign will promote dialogue on what it means to live in a world with so many people and encourage action on issues that affect us all. Read more...

Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver, is joining a new UN high-level commission charged with developing an accountability framework that will link resources committed to women's and children's health with the results they are intended to achieve.

"Strengthening accountability is critical if we are to save the lives of more women and children," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "We must ensure that partners deliver on their promises but, in turn, it is crucial that they know whether investments are leading to sustainable progress.” Read more...

Last Monday, October 11^th, the United Nations released a report entitled "Supporting Efforts to End Obstetric Fistula" which estimates that $750 million will be needed to treat existing and new cases of obstetric fistula occurring between now and 2015. 

Despite being almost entirely preventable when universal and equitable access to quality maternal and reproductive health services exists, the Lancet has reported that at least 2 million and as many as 3.5 million women suffer from obstetric fistula.  According to the World Health Organization, adolescent girls are especially vulnerable, and their risk for maternal mortality is two to five times greater than that faced by women in their twenties. Read more...

Yesterday, the Aspen Institute launched the Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health, and issued a call for resolve: Universal Reproductive Health Access by 2015. The Global Leaders Council for Reproductive Health is a group of sixteen sitting and former heads of state, high-level policymakers and other leaders committed to advancing reproductive health for lasting development and prosperity. Chaired by former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, these leaders will mobilize the political will and financial resources necessary to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015 – a key target of the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Read more...

Read the FULL REPORT from the Accelerating Action on the MDGs event.

Ahead of the opening of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Summit at the UN in New York City, General Assembly delegates gathered yesterday for a dialogue with bilateral donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), First Ladies, youth leaders and the private sector on how to secure the resources and political will needed to achieve the MDGs—with specific focus on delivering solutions for women, girls and babies. (Download photos from the event)

The brunch, “Accelerating Action on the MDGs: Delivering for Girls, Women, and Babies,” was co-hosted by Women Deliver, and several UN, NGO, and foundation partner organizations. Read more...