WOMEN DELIVER Conference

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• WOMEN DELIVER Conference
• 18-20 October 2007, London

FCI-Ecuador/Maritza Segura Villalva
Save the Children/ Michael Bisceglie
UNICEF/HQ04-09661/Giacomo Pirozzi

INVEST IN WOMEN IT PAYS
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The History of the Safe Motherhood Initiative
1987 Safe Motherhood Initiative launched
Nairobi, Kenya

• 1997 Safe Motherhood 10th Anniversary
• Colombo, Sri Lanka

2007 WOMEN DELIVER London, England
Invest in women it pays
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Aims and Objectives

• Demonstrate that investing in women and mothers
  is a
• primary engine for economic and social
  progress
• Situate maternal health within the development
  and
• human rights framework
• Catalyze global and local action and shape
  public opinion
• Highlight proven strategies that can prevent
  the deaths of
• women, mothers, and newborns

I
I
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Process Shaping Women Deliver

• Conceptual Basis
• Cairo International Center for Population and
  Development (ICPD)
• Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
• Women Deliver for Development International
  Center for Research on Women (ICRW) background
  paper
• Organizing Partners (12 members)
• International NGOs
• United Nations (UN) agencies
• Bilateral development institutions

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Levels of Participation

• Almost 2,000 people from 115 countries,
  including
• UN agencies and bilateral donors
• Policy makers from 30 developing countries
• Private foundations and corporations
• Broad development and health community
• International NGOs and civil society
  organizations
• Local and international media

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Key Themes

• Strengthen collaboration between health and
  others sectors.
• Maternal health, womens education, economic
  empowerment, and human rights critical for the
  wellbeing of families, communities, and nations.

IPPF- Jenny Matthews
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• Reframed maternal health as a human rights and
  development issue
• Garnered extensive media coverage in national and
  international press
• Mobilized political will and financial commitment
• Issued a Ministers Statement signed by 70
  ministers and parliamentarians
• Forged clear consensus on what works to save the
  lives of women, mothers, and newborns (3 pillars)

Key Outcomes
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Available Tools Resources
Website Links to plenary sessions, media clips,
webcasts, and other resources

• ICRW background paper
• Summarized connections between maternal health
  and development

• The Lancet Release of new maternal death
  estimates in special issue

Toolkits For follow-up at regional or country
level (in process)
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Moving Forward Global and Local Advocacy

• Global Advocacy Sustain and strengthen
  commitments to
• womens and maternal health
• Convene Women Deliver II
• Convene United Nations General Assembly Special
  Session (UNGASS) on maternal health
• Expand web site as key advocacy tool
• Local and Regional Advocacy Mobilize civil
  society to monitor
• and demand action by donors and governments
• Build capacity of public sector group
• Disseminate Ministers Statement to encourage
  progressive, effective policies

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Moving the Agenda Forward at the Country Level

• Civil society leaders/health advocates
• Share recommendations with other civil society
  and public sector organizations
• Form an advocacy or accountability coalition to
  track government and donor commitment
• Work with media to highlight policy commitments
  in national and local press
• Members of parliament
• Introduce legislation in support of womens and
  maternal health
• Hold a debriefing meeting to highlight key
  actions arising from conference

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Moving the Agenda Forward at the Country Level

• Media representatives
• Support national champions for maternal health
• Health providers
• Widely share the three pillars for improving
  maternal health with other health service
  providers
• Ministers of Health and Planning
• Share the outcomes from Women Deliver within
  government
• Identify maternal health as priority within
  national policies and strategic frameworks

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For more information, please visit

• www.womendeliver.org