PHM-Exch> International Roundtable on Maternal mortality, human rights and accountability Thursday, 2nd September, Geneva

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: rajat khosla <rajat.khosla at gmail.com>

Message from Paul Hunt, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health
(2002-2008)


Invitation to:

International Roundtable on
Maternal mortality, human rights and accountability
Thursday, 2nd September, Geneva

You are invited to a one-day International Roundtable on Maternal mortality,

human rights and accountability, taking place in Geneva on Thursday, 2nd
September.

Mary Robinson(former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human

Rights), US Ambassador Donahoe and Dr. Francisco Songane (former Minister of

Health, Mozambique) will make keynote addresses.

Other maternal health and human rights experts, from all regions of the
world,
will also deliver presentations.

Increasingly, maternal mortality is being recognised as a global human
rights
issue of enormous importance. Each year, there are about 500,000 preventable

maternal deaths. The great majority occur in Asia and Africa. However,
disaggregated data from high-income countries show that women from ethnic
and
other minorities suffer disproportionately from preventable maternal
mortality.
In short, maternal mortality is a human rights issue in all regions of the
world.

The background to the International Roundtable includes last year’s UN Human

Rights Council landmark resolution on maternal mortality and morbidity, this

year’s OHCHR report on the issue, Millennium Development Goal 5, and the
growing
international commitment to address maternal mortality and morbidity.

A few days after the Roundtable, the UN Human Rights Council is likely to
decide
its next steps on this issue.

Crucially, the Roundtable will focus on one critically important - and often

neglected - component of a human rights-based approach to maternal
mortality:
monitoring and accountability. The roundtable will provide human rights
experts,
health professionals, diplomats and others with an opportunity to learn
about
and explore monitoring, accountability and redress in relation to maternal
mortality. Expert panellists will consider good practices regarding maternal

death audits, the role of national human rights institutions, and the
contribution of judicial procedures. The Roundtable will look at both the
international and national levels.

The Roundtable will take place from 9.00am-5.15pm at the Geneva Business
Center
(12, Avenue des Morgines, CH-1213 Petit-Lancy), a short bus ride from the
centre
of Geneva.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. There is no registration fee.
Unfortunately, we do not have funds to subsidise travel and hotel costs.

If you wish to attend on 2nd September, please let us know, as soon as
possible,
by contacting Pia Janning at mm2september at gmail.com Thereafter, you will be
provided with additional information and documentation about the Roundtable.

Spaces are limited so please do not delay.

Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday 2nd September!

Essex University Human Rights Centre
International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights
Clemens Nathan Research Centre
SAHAYOG (Indian non-profit promoting gender equality and women's health)
CARE Peru
Health Equity Group (East Africa)
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