RMNCH News 2012

Reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health

May

• African Ministers meet in Addis Ababa
• UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children meets in New York
  22 MAY 2012 | NEW YORK - The United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children, co-chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway, has reviewed and finalized recommendations to help increase access, reduce costs, and increase demand for 13 life-saving commodities for women's and children's health.
• Reproductive Health Matters: Call for papers
  This journal issue aims to explore the changing language and culture around young people’s sexual relationships and sexual health, as well as the gap between what young people want and need, what young people are told they need, and what they are actually receiving.
• World Health Assembly 2012
• New WHO statistics report includes good news for women’s and children’s health
  16 MAY 2012 | GENEVA – The World Health Statistics 2012 report puts the spotlight on the growing problem of the noncommunicable diseases burden, but also highlights progress in women’s and children’s health.
• RMNCH Coalition formed by order of Government of India
  MAY 2012 | NEW DELHI, INDIA – Through an Order from the Government of India, the Ministry of Health and Famly Welfare has created a Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Coalition (RMNCH)
• Mother’s Day 2012
  14 MAY 2012 - As partners for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health continue to tackle ongoing challenges around the world, Mother’s Day provides an excellent occasion to stop and celebrate recent successes in this field.
• Africa Public Health Alliance calls on AU to make water management top priority
  14-18 MAY 2012 | CAIRO - The Africa Public Health Alliance has called on the African Union and its Ministerial Council on Water to scale up efforts to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for African people.
• One Campaign Petition to G8 Leaders
  11 MAY 2012 - One Campaign has launched an on-line petition to G8 Leaders: THRIVE – Plant a seed of change in the G8.
• Save the Children’s Annual State of the World’s Mothers Report is released for 2012
  8 MAY 2012 | WESTPORT, Conn. — Save the Children's thirteenth State of the World's Mothers report shows Niger as the worst place to be a mother in the world — replacing Afghanistan for the first time in two years. Norway comes in at first place.
• International Day of the Midwife 2012
  7 MAY 2012 | Partners for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health raised their voices in support of the crucial work of skilled birth attendants in honour of International Day of the Midwife 2012.
• Maternal deaths halved in 20 years, but faster progress needed
  6 MAY 2012 | UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK – The number of women dying of pregnancy and childbirth related complications has almost halved in 20 years, according to new estimates released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Bank.
• Asia Regional Meeting on Interventions for Impact in Essential Obstetric and Newborn Care
  4-6 MAY 2012 | DHAKA, BANGLADESH —The South East Asian region has made remarkable progress in cutting maternal deaths, but a huge lack in quality care for mothers in pre- and post-delivery periods remains
• #BornTooSoon Global Relay TweetChat - Thurs 3 May (900-1600 EDT)
  TWITTERWORLD on 3 MAY - Join us for the #BornTooSoon Global Relay TweetChat on Thursday, 3 May 2012, from 9 am to 4pm EDT.
• Rising Stars in Women's & Children's Health: Cast Your Vote!
  3 MAY 2012 – Grand Challenges Canada is calling on voters to help select winners in their third round of Rising Stars in Global Health contest.
• New global report: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth
  Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth provides the first-ever national, regional and global estimates of preterm birth.

April

• UNSG Ban: more investment in women’s and children’s health
  New Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS Asia Pacific region
• GAVI: Ghana rolls out vaccines against two top killers of children
  26 APRIL 2012 | ACCRA – Ghana has become the first African country to introduce pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines at the same time
• 45th UN Commission on Population and Development
  23-27 APRIL 2012 | UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need to provide reproductive health care for young people, as well as give them access to the necessary information and the means to protect themselves from sexual abuse and violence.
• Call to African Ministers for human resources development plan
  25 April 2010 | ABUJA - Advocates have called for African Ministers of Education to develop an African Human Resources Development Plan as a step towards achieving development goals.
• Global partners launch new plan to control and eliminate measles and rubella
  24 APRIL 2012 | ATLANTA | GENEVA | NEW YORK | WASHINGTON, D.C ― Partners leading efforts to control measles have announced a new global strategy aimed at reducing measles deaths and congenital rubella syndrome to zero.
• Transforming communities from within to impact health systems
  24 APRIL 2012 | ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — In recognition of incredible progress made transforming communities from within to tackle such daunting challenges as maternal mortality, PMNCH member organization The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) has received the World Federation of Public Health Associations 2012 Organizational Award.
• USAID launches Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday campaign
  23 APRIL 2012 — PMNCH member organization the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a global campaign to help more children around the world reach the age of five—a milestone birthday, after which children are far more likely to survive to adulthood.
• World Immunization Week rolled out in 180 countries
  23 APRIL 2012 | GENEVA – For the first time, public health communities in all regions of the world are focussing at the same time on the importance of vaccination against deadly diseases.
• Don’t forget the girls: an important message from UNFPA executive director Dr Babatunde Osotimehin
  19 APRIL 2012 – In an op/ed published in Huffington Post, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of PMNCH member UNFPA, has applauded the international community for recognizing the importance of safe motherhood and women's reproductive health as a crucial development issue.
• Campaign for World Breastfeeding Week inspired Google Doodle
  18 APRIL 2012 – World Breastfeeding Week will celebrate its 20th anniversary this summer, and to commemorate the occasion, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has started a mini-campaign for a WBW themed Google Doodle.
• Systematic review of the interconnections between maternal & newborn health
  APRIL 2012 -In close collaboration with researchers at Aga Khan University, Family Care International (FCI) undertook a program of work to highlight interconnections between maternal and newborn deaths anc the poor health of the mother before or during pregnancy, or poor quality care during and immediately after childbirth.
• TEDxChange sparks conversation on key RMNCH issues
  10 APRIL 2012 – Convened by PMNCH partner Melinda Gates, and hosted by TED’s Chris Anderson, last week’s TEDxChange event encouraged important conversations surrounding critical reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) issues—such as access to family planning for women in developing countries.
• New biorepository to help uncover mysteries of pregnancy and childbirth
  10 APRIL 2012 – Laying a foundation for discoveries that will improve maternal, newborn and child health everywhere, PMNCH member the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS) has created the world’s first ever standardized, widely accessible repository of high-quality specimens linked to data from diverse populations of pregnant women.
• Parliaments urged to scale up efforts in securing the health of women and children
  5 APRIL 2012 | KAMPALA, UGANDA - Leaders of nearly 120 national parliaments attending a major meeting here this week resolved to prioritize action and resources for improving the health of women and children.
• Global Illumination Initiative: Shedding light on premature birth
  4 APRIL 2012 – Worldwide, one baby in 10 is born premature: Every year, about 13 million children are born too early. Despite this high number, the public is hardly aware of how to prevent preterm birth and the problems and risks involved in the development of a preterm infant.
• Sweden appoints world’s first Global Health Ambassador
  3 APRIL 2012 – The Swedish government has appointed the world’s first Ambassador for Global Health, underscoring the country’s desire to raise its profile in the area of health and increase its efforts towards achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the run up to 2015.

March

• 126th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union meets in Kampala
  31 MARCH -5 APRIL 2012 | KAMPALA, Uganda – Some 1500 Parliamentarians from across the globe are focusing on women’s and children’s health at the 126th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union this week in Kampala.
• Women’s and children’s health high on agenda at 126th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
  PMNCH member White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) is reporting direct from the Assembly on the progress of the IPU resolution “Access to Health as a Basic Right: The Role of Parliaments in Addressing Key Challenges to Securing the Health of Women and Children”.
• Lancet review examines equity in MNCH interventions
  31 MARCH 2012 – The global health community must increase its efforts to ensure key maternal, newborn, and child health interventions are adequately reaching all social groups.
• First Asia-Pacific workshop on developing country roadmaps
  19-21 MARCH | MANILA, PHILLIPPINES - Delegations from seven Eastern Asian countries (China & Mongolia), South-Eastern Asian countries (Cambodia, Lao, Philippines and Viet Nam) and Papua New Guinea, supported by a range of country, regional and global partners*, met in Manila, Philippines on 19-21 March to develop country roadmaps to strengthen national accountability and action for improving women’s and children’s health.
• Africa Regional RMNCH Advocacy Strategy Implementation Meeting
  26 MARCH 2012 | KAMPALA, UGANDA - Over 140 partners gathered in Kampala to identify next steps in the implementation of the Integrated Strategy for Reproductive Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH), led by the African Union. This strategy, devised during a consultation in August 2011, promotes alignment of the implementation of several African and global frameworks for women’s and children’s health, including the Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal, Mortality in Africa, The Maputo Plan of Action and the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health.
• Africa Regional Consultation on Achieving MDG 5
  27-28 MARCH 2012 | KAMPALA, UGANDA - Almost 200 partners, including policy-makers, researchers, experts and advocates gathered in a forum to discuss key issues in the struggle to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5, the UN MDG aimed at improving maternal health and reducing maternal mortality
• Health Metrics Network and World Health Organization welcome birth registration resolution
• Newborn care on video
  A series of short videos produced by Global Health Media Project illustrate newborn care clinical guidelines.
• WHO/Stop TB: Childhood tuberculosis neglected, despite available remedies
  21 MARCH 2012 | GENEVA - Tuberculosis (TB) often goes undiagnosed in children from birth to 15 years old because they lack access to health services - or because the health workers who care for them are unprepared to recognize the signs and symptoms of TB in this age group.
• New UN Commission on Life-Saving commodities for Women and Children
  23 MARCH 2012 – A new United Nations Commission has been announced to catalyze changes in the way overlooked commodities are made, distributed and used in order to prevent the leading causes of death and disease among the world’s poorest women and children.
• Call: Advancing knowledge and practice for using systems thinking for equitable health systems strengthening in LMICs
  20 MARCH 2012 - The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research at WHO and the Governance for Equity in Health Systems Program at IDRC are pleased to announce a Call for Papers on "Advancing knowledge and practice for using systems thinking for equitable health systems strengthening in LMICs”
• It’s time to deliver for girls and women
  20 MARCH 2012 - “A few weeks ago, on 8 March, the world celebrated International Women’s Day, which serves as a clarion call to honor girls’ and women’s contributions to their families, communities and nations. ... Here in Africa, we are doing just that. On 27-28 March, policymakers, researchers and advocates from across the continent – including Ugandan First Lady Janet Museveni and Minister of Health Honorable Dr. Christine Ondoa – are gathering in Kampala for a regional consultation on maternal and reproductive health.
• Countdown update fosters country accountability, supports Global Strategy
  19 MARCH 2012 | COUNTDOWN 2015 - As follow-up to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, Countdown to 2015 has released a new report: Accountability for Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival: An update on progress in priority countries.
• G8 Watch 2012
  19 APRIL 2012 – Leaders from around the world will gather at US President Barack Obama's Camp David retreat in the mountains of Maryland for the 38th meeting of the Group of Eight (G8).
• Call for Letters of Interest: The 2012 Innovation Working Group Catalytic Funding Competition
  The mHealth Alliance, in partnership with the Innovation Working Group, the UN Secretary-General’s Every Woman Every Child global strategy and the Norwegian Development Cooperation Agency (Norad) have issued a Call for Letters of Interest (LOI) for the 2012 mHealth for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Competition for catalytic funding.
• Changing Lives Campaign to celebrate UK Mothers’ Day
  15 MARCH 2012 | DFID FACEBOOK – This Mother's Day, the United Kingdom Department of International Development is highlighting how UK aid is helping two million women to deliver their babies safely in the world's poorest countries.
• WHO: New research on postpartum haemorrhage in Lancet
  6 MARCH 2012 | LONDON-GENEVA - Findings on the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) have important implications for expanding access to effective care and could have a substantial impact on maternal survival in places where access to skilled medical staff is difficult.
• President Obama & Prime Minister Cameron commit to maternal and child health
  14 MARCH 2012 | THE WHITE HOUSE – During meetings between the UK Prime Minister and President Barack Obama in March in Washington DC, they together reaffirmed commitment and work being done by the two countries together to improve women’s and children’s health and save lives
• Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases: END7 Campaign Seeks to Eliminate 7 Neglected Diseases
  13 MARCH 2012 - In early 2012, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases - an initiative of the U.S.-based Sabin Vaccine Institute - launched END7, an international public awareness campaign with a mission to see the end of seven neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by 2020.
• Health partnerships reach out to G8 leaders
  MARCH 2012 - The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health has joined with three other leading global health partnerships to send an open letter to G8 leaders to ask for the inclusion of a specific statement of commitment and support for global health in this year's G8 Summit Declaration and accountability report.
• International Women’s Day 2012
  08 MARCH 2012 - In commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD), PMNCH members are celebrating progress and advancing commitments towards better health for the world’s women and their children.
• FHDO: International Women's Day was observed in Sirajganj
  8 MARCH 2012 | SIRAJGANJ - To celebrate the day a colorful rally was organized by governmental and non-governmental organizations and was attended by Deputy Commissioner Mr Aminul Islam as chief guest.
• "Women Deliver 50” casts spotlight on ideas and solutions improving the lives of girls and women
  7 MARCH 2012 | NEW YORK – In the lead up to International Women’s Day, PMNCH member Women Deliver announced the winners of its annual “Women Deliver 50” list, a compilation of the 50 most inspiring ideas and solutions that are delivering for girls and women across the globe.
• UK to host family planning summit with Gates Foundation
  06 MARCH 2012 | LONDON - The UK Government is working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and partners to host a Family Planning summit in London in July 2012.
• WHO/UNICEF: MDG met for drinking water- but sanitation lags behind
  6 MARCH 2012 | NEW YORK/GENEVA – The world has met the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, well in advance of the MDG 2015 deadline.
• Norway commits $9.9 Million to Maternal and Newborn Health
  5 MARCH 2012 | WASHINGTON, DC – As International Women’s Day approaches, the mHealth Alliance announces that the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) has made a US$9.9 million commitment to support the use of innovative mobile technologies to improve women and children’s health.
• CSW Side Event: Keeping Promises, Measuring Results
  2 March 2012 | NEW YORK - A side event held during the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, was co-hosted by the government of Canada, PMNCH and the United Nations Foundation, in support of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Every Woman Every Child Initiative.

February

• Children in an Urban World
  28 FEBRUARY 2012 | A new report from PMNCH member UNICEF has shed light on the disparities within cities depriving many children from access to health care, education and sanitation, despite living alongside these services.
• Human Rights Council holds panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming and international cooperation
  28 FEBRUARY 2012 | GENEVA - The Human Rights Council held a panel discussion on human rights mainstreaming and international cooperation.
• CSW56 highlights role of sexual and reproductive health on road to gender equality
  27 FEBRUARY – 9 MARCH 2012 - PMNCH members have joined government officials, rural women, representatives of the United Nations and civil society, the media and the private sector to discuss challenges faced by women living in rural areas at the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
• Cast Your Vote: Women Deliver Contest
  24 FEBRUARY 2012 - Voting has begun on the Women Deliver’s Facebook page to determine the top 50 inspiring ideas and solutions that deliver for girls and women from 2011.
• International Pharmaceutical Federation report on effective use of pharmacists in MNCH
  23 FEBRUARY 2012 – The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has published a document on the role of pharmacists in improving maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH).
• Merck for Mothers and NORAD Co-chair UN Task Force on Sustainable Business Models in Health
  22 FEBRUARY 2012 - Merck for Mothers and NORAD – the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation – have been named to co-chair the Task Force on Sustainable Business Models.
• Ban Ki-moon appoints Australian Kate Gilmore Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA
  22 FEBRUARY 2012 | NEW YORK - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Kate Gilmore of Australia as Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director (Programme) of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
• WHO upholds guidance on hormonal contraceptive use and HIV
  16 FEBRUARY 2012 – The World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that women living with HIV or at high risk of HIV can safely continue to use hormonal contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.
• MAMA: Motherhood Around the Globe
  JANUARY-SEPTEMBER 2012 - A global online exhibition hosted by the International Museum of Women (IMOW) is exploring the realities and ideas of a new global generation of mothers through art, stories and powerful new voices.
• Reproductive Health Matters: Call for papers
  Reproductive and sex-related morbidity: neglected problems. November 2012 Vol. 20 No. 40
• Child malnutrition: a hidden crisis which threatens the global economy
  The new report entitled "A life free from hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition," highlights the difficulties families are facing in countries already struggling with high rates of malnutrition.
• Norway’s new research project: Investing in women’s health pays off
  15 FEBRUARY 2012 - Norway launched a new research project aimed to identify economic benefits of investing in women’s health as well as the first white paper on global health outlining Norway’s ambitions in this field: the Norwegian Government White Paper on Global Health.
• Concern Worldwide “Innovations for maternal, newborn, & child health programme” searches for specialists
  Concern Worldwide “Innovations for maternal, newborn, & child health programme” – funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - seeks to identify, support, and field test, bold, innovative ways to overcome barriers to delivering proven solutions to women and children.
• Women Deliver Conference 2013: Scholarship Applications
  Women Deliver is offering full scholarships to a select number of participants in order to maximize participation from those traditionally under-represented.
• Preeclampsia Foundation : Research funding available
  13 FEBRUARY 2012 | The Preeclampsia Foundation announced that new funding is available for preeclampsia research.
• African countries meet to develop country accountability roadmaps
  13-15 FEBRARY 2012 | Dar es Salaam - Delegations from ten sub-Saharan African countries, supported by a range of regional and global partners, met to develop country roadmaps to strengthen national accountability and action for improving women’s and children’s health. The Tanzania workshop, one in a series of regional workshops that will ultimately cover 75 priority countries, is part of the action plan for implementing the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health. The COIA outlined recommendations in three areas: better tracking of results, better tracking of resources, and better oversight of results and resources, nationally and globally.
• Tanzania: NGOs hailed over motherhood bill
  9 FEBRUARY 2012 - PMNCH members Care International and White Ribbon Alliance have drafted a safe motherhood bill, in collaboration with the Tanzania Women Lawyers Association, aimed at addressing critical challenges facing Tanzanian mothers, adolescent girls men and boys in accessing reproductive health services.
• Lancet says malaria deaths higher than previously thought
  3 FEBRUARY 2012 | LONDON - New data released in an article by Chris Murray and associates in The Lancet say that malaria mortality worldwide could be almost double that of previous estimates—at around 1.24 million deaths in 2010.
• PMNCH Task Team on Financing for RMNCH meets in London
  2 FEBRUARY 2012 | LONDON - The PMNCH Task Team on Financing for RMNCH was formed to provide strategic advice to the PMNCH Board on financing options for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH).
• Parliamentarians launch Alliance for Reproductive Health in India
  1 FEBRUARY 2012 | INDIA - Parliamentarians in India have launched the “Citizens’ Alliance for Reproductive Health and Rights” as a parliamentarian response to take collective action for improved reproductive health for the people of India. The Alliance launched at an event in Delhi on November 30, 2011.

January

• 2012 top stories
• Intel and UNFPA to boost health workers’ skills around the world
  30 JANUARY 2012 | UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK/SANTA CLARA, California — In an effort to address The high number of unnecessary deaths during pregnancy and childbirth, Intel and UNFPA have announced a joint commitment to strengthen the skills of midwives and community health workers through technology and training materials from the two organizations.
• PMNCH co-hosts side event at the 2012 World Economic Forum (WEF)
  27 JANUARY 2012 | DAVOS - The Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health led a special side event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to discuss a draft Guide, developed with FSG, to outline ways in which companies can contribute to improve the health of women and children.
• Two RMNCH initiatives launched at WEF
  27-29 JANUARY 2012 | DAVOS- World Economic Forum — Two new initiatives were launched by business and social media leaders that aim to end new HIV infections among children.
• Every Woman Every Child
  27-29 JANUARY 2012 | DAVOS - Two side events related to the Every Woman, Every Child effort were co-organized with PMNCH at the 2012 World Economic Forum (WEF). A high-level luncheon addressed reasons and ways for business and government leaders to invest in women and children´s health.
• PMNCH Board welcomes new Co-Chairs and Members
  JANUARY 2012 | GENEVA - In 2011, PMNCH co-chairs Vinod Paul (Academic Expert) and Purnima Mane (UNFPA) completed their terms with the PMNCH Board.