PHA-Exchange> UN-BACKED CONFERENCE TO TACKLE NEEDLESS DEATHS DURING PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Vern Weitzel vern at coombs.anu.edu.au
With a woman somewhere in the world needlessly dying every minute during
pregnancy and childbirth, the United Nations is participating in a landmark
conference in October to bring an end to millions of maternal deaths
globally.

More than 2,000 participants – delegates from over 75 countries including
senior
government officials and cabinet ministers, heads of UN agencies and other
organizations, health professionals, economists and reproductive health
advocates – will convene at the Women Deliver conference to be held from
18-20
October.

The event "will call attention to a tragedy that is not often registered,
and
will push all concerned to take action," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive
Director of the UN Population Fund
(<"http://www.unfpa.org/news/news.cfm?ID=1015">UNFPA).

Ten million women and girls die each generation during their pregnancies or
childbirth, and 4 million newborn babies die yearly. These tragic deaths –
which
contribute to poverty worldwide – can easily be prevented with effective and
low-cost investments.

Women in poor countries are disproportionately affected, with one in six
women
of reproductive age dying from pregnancy-related causes in Afghanistan
compared
to one in 2,500 in the United States and one in 29,800 in Sweden, according
to
UN statistics from 2000.

This year marks the midpoint of the Millennium Development Goals
(<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs), eight targets to slash a host
of
ills by 2015, one of which is the goal of bolstering maternal health.

Organizers include UNFPA, the UN Children's Fund
(<"http://www.unicef.org/">UNICEF), the UN World Health Organization
(<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO), the World Bank<"http://www.worldbank.org/
">,
several government agencies, and dozens of non-governmental organizations
(NGOs).
2007-08-14 00:00:00.000
___________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
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