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US$40b in pledges for women, children
Source: Agencies |
September 23, 2010, Thursday
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UNITED Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday launched a global campaign that aims to save the lives of 16 million mothers and children over the next five years, with as much as US$40 billion in commitments from world governments and private aid groups.
The Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health was being announced at the end of a three-day summit to review efforts to implement anti-poverty goals adopted in 2000. These include cutting extreme poverty by half, ensuring universal primary education, halting and reversing the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and cutting child and maternal mortality.
"Women and children play a crucial role in development," Ban said in a statement. "Investing in their health is not only the right thing to do - it also builds stable, peaceful and productive societies."
Ban has made the reduction of maternal and child deaths a personal campaign, and it has been a key topic during the summit. Worldwide every year an estimated 8 million children die before reaching their fifth birthday, and about 350,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth.
Even before the details were announced, the international aid organization Oxfam expressed skepticism about how much money was truly new, and how the program would be administered and held accountable.
"Half of the donors cut their aid last year" amid the global economic crisis, said Oxfam spokeswoman Emma Seery. "We're just nervous that it will be governments bringing together a lot of previous commitments, and that won't mean much for poor people."
The Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health was being announced at the end of a three-day summit to review efforts to implement anti-poverty goals adopted in 2000. These include cutting extreme poverty by half, ensuring universal primary education, halting and reversing the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and cutting child and maternal mortality.
"Women and children play a crucial role in development," Ban said in a statement. "Investing in their health is not only the right thing to do - it also builds stable, peaceful and productive societies."
Ban has made the reduction of maternal and child deaths a personal campaign, and it has been a key topic during the summit. Worldwide every year an estimated 8 million children die before reaching their fifth birthday, and about 350,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth.
Even before the details were announced, the international aid organization Oxfam expressed skepticism about how much money was truly new, and how the program would be administered and held accountable.
"Half of the donors cut their aid last year" amid the global economic crisis, said Oxfam spokeswoman Emma Seery. "We're just nervous that it will be governments bringing together a lot of previous commitments, and that won't mean much for poor people."
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