The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has resolved to mobilize budgetary allocations from African governments to finance the implementation of the recently adopted African Union Declaration on Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa.
The resolution, which looks to ensure policy and budget support for maternal, newborn and child health in countries was presented during a session dedicated to Maternal Newborn and Child Health during the Pan African Parliament (PAP) held in South Africa mid this month.
Congratulating the PAP for the resolution, African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, Honourable Beince Gawanas said, “The zeal and commitment of parliamentarians on this continent reflects that of all African policy makers. We have heard our heads of states commit strongly to Maternal and Child Health in July 2010, and with the work of PAP we can truly say that African Parliamentarians care that no woman should die giving birth.”
PAP President Hon. Idriss Ndele Moussa pledged that the Pan African Parliament and its members would work with governments to ensure necessary improvements in health budgets to save African lives especially of women and children.
The PAP resolution is based on a parliamentary budget action plan adopted on 2 October 2010 during a pre PAP Session meeting of Chairs of National Parliaments Finance / Budget Committees, with the PAP Committees of Monetary and Financial Affairs, Health and Gender on policy and budget support for maternal and child health.
The meeting supported by the Africa Public Health Parliamentary Network, Africa Public Health 15 percent Plus Campaign, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), Internal planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations(GAVI), Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) and the World Vision, builds on the July 2010 Africa Union (AU) Heads of State Summit on Maternal and Child Health (MNCH) held in Kampala, Uganda, and follows on the heels of the global announcement by some 20 African countries to provide $9 billion to boost women's and children's survival. The commitments were pledged at the launch of the United Nations' Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health during the Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York on September 22.
Africa's pledge is a key part of an estimated US$40 billion committed by the global community to support UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Global Strategy. The Strategy, facilitated by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, calls for increased policy, financial or service delivery commitments to improve health outcomes for women and children and speed progress towards the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Of this $40 billion, nine African countries alone accounted for more than $9 billion dollars for maternal, newborn and child health specifically, and more than $25.5 billion for health in general. These countries include Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile the Managing Director for Geneva-based Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Dr. Flavia Bustreo, said Africa had shown commitment to its women and children.
She said the substantial commitments the continent had put forward demonstrated an understanding of the necessity of increased investment in health and action in support.
“African countries at the July 2010 AU Summit committed to taking numerous policy, program and financial measures to improve the health of their women and children. The $9 billion dollar commitment and the resolution of parliamentarians reflect a passage from commitment to implementation. The combined African and global commitments will ensure that faster progress is made towards meeting the Health MDGs,” said Dr. Bustreo.
And Rotimi Sankore, the Secretary of the Africa Public Health Parliamentary Network and Coordinator of the Africa Public Health Alliance and 15 percent Plus Campaign, said although there have been reductions in maternal and child mortality, an annual loss of over 4 million African children under 5 years of age, and roughly 200,000 women to maternal mortality indicates that there is still a lot to be done.
He said increased health investment in terms of percentage allocation to the health sector and actual per capita investment was crucial for the sustainable improvement of health outcomes, adding that ‘there must also be improved investment in social determinants of health such as nutrition, clean water and sanitation, and pillars of health such as health workforce.’
Africa's historic financial and policy pledge to provide $9bn for women and children’s health, follows the first-ever African Union Summit dedicated specifically to maternal, infant and child health and development. At 15th AU Summit, held in Kampala in July, African heads of states committed to mobilize resources through public-private partnerships, appeal to the Global Fund for Fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB to create a new window to fund maternal, newborn and child health and to strengthen health systems to provide comprehensive, integrated maternal newborn and child health care services.
Africa's heightened commitment to maternal and child health reflects frustration with its lack of progress in reducing deaths of women and children. Maternal and child deaths remain high in sub-Saharan Africa, despite steady global progress in reducing mortality.
In September, a new UN and World Bank-led study announced a one-third drop in the global number of estimated maternal deaths since 1990. However, this good news masks large regional inequalities, so that a woman in sub-Saharan Africa has a 1 in 31 lifetime chance of dying of maternal causes compared with 1 in 120 in South Asia, the region with the second highest maternal mortality ratio. The rate in developed countries, by comparison, is 1 in 4,300.
However, Sub-Saharan Africa still accounts for half of global child deaths globally, despite some steady progress in countries such as Rwanda and Tanzania. According to the Countdown to 2015 global report launched in June, only five African countries are on track to reach Millennium Development Goal 4 on child survival. These include Botswana, Egypt, Eritrea, Malawi and Morocco.
The resolution, which looks to ensure policy and budget support for maternal, newborn and child health in countries was presented during a session dedicated to Maternal Newborn and Child Health during the Pan African Parliament (PAP) held in South Africa mid this month.
Congratulating the PAP for the resolution, African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, Honourable Beince Gawanas said, “The zeal and commitment of parliamentarians on this continent reflects that of all African policy makers. We have heard our heads of states commit strongly to Maternal and Child Health in July 2010, and with the work of PAP we can truly say that African Parliamentarians care that no woman should die giving birth.”
PAP President Hon. Idriss Ndele Moussa pledged that the Pan African Parliament and its members would work with governments to ensure necessary improvements in health budgets to save African lives especially of women and children.
The PAP resolution is based on a parliamentary budget action plan adopted on 2 October 2010 during a pre PAP Session meeting of Chairs of National Parliaments Finance / Budget Committees, with the PAP Committees of Monetary and Financial Affairs, Health and Gender on policy and budget support for maternal and child health.
The meeting supported by the Africa Public Health Parliamentary Network, Africa Public Health 15 percent Plus Campaign, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), Internal planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations(GAVI), Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) and the World Vision, builds on the July 2010 Africa Union (AU) Heads of State Summit on Maternal and Child Health (MNCH) held in Kampala, Uganda, and follows on the heels of the global announcement by some 20 African countries to provide $9 billion to boost women's and children's survival. The commitments were pledged at the launch of the United Nations' Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health during the Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York on September 22.
Africa's pledge is a key part of an estimated US$40 billion committed by the global community to support UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Global Strategy. The Strategy, facilitated by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, calls for increased policy, financial or service delivery commitments to improve health outcomes for women and children and speed progress towards the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Of this $40 billion, nine African countries alone accounted for more than $9 billion dollars for maternal, newborn and child health specifically, and more than $25.5 billion for health in general. These countries include Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile the Managing Director for Geneva-based Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Dr. Flavia Bustreo, said Africa had shown commitment to its women and children.
She said the substantial commitments the continent had put forward demonstrated an understanding of the necessity of increased investment in health and action in support.
“African countries at the July 2010 AU Summit committed to taking numerous policy, program and financial measures to improve the health of their women and children. The $9 billion dollar commitment and the resolution of parliamentarians reflect a passage from commitment to implementation. The combined African and global commitments will ensure that faster progress is made towards meeting the Health MDGs,” said Dr. Bustreo.
And Rotimi Sankore, the Secretary of the Africa Public Health Parliamentary Network and Coordinator of the Africa Public Health Alliance and 15 percent Plus Campaign, said although there have been reductions in maternal and child mortality, an annual loss of over 4 million African children under 5 years of age, and roughly 200,000 women to maternal mortality indicates that there is still a lot to be done.
He said increased health investment in terms of percentage allocation to the health sector and actual per capita investment was crucial for the sustainable improvement of health outcomes, adding that ‘there must also be improved investment in social determinants of health such as nutrition, clean water and sanitation, and pillars of health such as health workforce.’
Africa's historic financial and policy pledge to provide $9bn for women and children’s health, follows the first-ever African Union Summit dedicated specifically to maternal, infant and child health and development. At 15th AU Summit, held in Kampala in July, African heads of states committed to mobilize resources through public-private partnerships, appeal to the Global Fund for Fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB to create a new window to fund maternal, newborn and child health and to strengthen health systems to provide comprehensive, integrated maternal newborn and child health care services.
Africa's heightened commitment to maternal and child health reflects frustration with its lack of progress in reducing deaths of women and children. Maternal and child deaths remain high in sub-Saharan Africa, despite steady global progress in reducing mortality.
In September, a new UN and World Bank-led study announced a one-third drop in the global number of estimated maternal deaths since 1990. However, this good news masks large regional inequalities, so that a woman in sub-Saharan Africa has a 1 in 31 lifetime chance of dying of maternal causes compared with 1 in 120 in South Asia, the region with the second highest maternal mortality ratio. The rate in developed countries, by comparison, is 1 in 4,300.
However, Sub-Saharan Africa still accounts for half of global child deaths globally, despite some steady progress in countries such as Rwanda and Tanzania. According to the Countdown to 2015 global report launched in June, only five African countries are on track to reach Millennium Development Goal 4 on child survival. These include Botswana, Egypt, Eritrea, Malawi and Morocco.
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