UN Has Over $40 Billion To Save The Lives Of Over 16 Million Women And Children

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Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 22 Sep 2010 - 12:00 PDT


Over $40 billion have been committed so far to improve health services globally, as a huge drive to save the lives of more than 16 million women and children starts today, said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health was launched today at United Nation's headquarters during the summit on the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr Ban said:

The 21st century must be and will be different for every woman and every child.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a series of economic and social objectives for 2015, which also include some health aims:

• Goal 4 aims to bring down the mortality rate for children up to the age of 5 by two-thirds.
• Goal 5 aims to reduce maternal mortality rates by 75% compared to 1990.

In a press release the UN announced that the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health's launch, which included foundations, international organizations, civil society groups, research groups and the private sector is a huge step towards filling the gap between what is needed and currently provided to protect women's and children's health worldwide. Over $40 billion has been committed over the next five years.

The Secretary-General noted:

We know what works to save women's and children's lives, and we know that women and children are critical to all of the MDGs. Today we are witnessing the kind of leadership we have long needed.

The Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health is expected to prevent the deaths of over 15 million children up to the age of five, as well as 33 million unwanted pregnancies, and the deaths of 740,000 women from pregnancy and childbirth complications between 2011 and 2015.

A team of organizations, including UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS, WHO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), and the World Bank have got together to try to make sure the project is successful. They will identify and connect resources to the most needy people, based on the priorities set by countries and their national health plans.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, said:

"The Global Strategy asks us to be smart, strategic and resourceful as never before. By integrating their actions, the eight international health-related agencies will strengthen capacities across the board, in ways that meet the comprehensive needs of women and children.

Source: United Nations

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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