WHO Summary on Africa Regional Consultation on Achieving MDG 5 Challenges Opportunities and Lessons Learned
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. The session was opened formally by Her Excellency, Mrs Janet Museveni, the First Lady of Uganda, who joined health advocates in the Africa region in renewing and discussing their commitment to women’s and children’s health.
Organized by Women Deliver in partnership with Partners in Population and Development Africa Regional Office, the results of these discussions will inform the 2013 Women Deliver Conference.
Discussion topics
Exchanges between partners focused on the fact that Africa has only made one-third of the progress needed to reach Millennium Development Goal 5. Different sessions focused on identifying key challenges and opportunities to improve reproductive and maternal health in Africa. Topics included regional success stories, lessons learned, and pathways for future progress in maternal and reproductive health with a focus on the International Conference on Population and Development’s (ICPD) Plan of Action and Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
Discussions also identified the key interventions that advocacy efforts should tackle. These included:
- Addressing inadequate coverage of essential interventions for women and children;
- Strengthening health systems to provide integrated quality care;
- Supporting vulnerable adolescent girls through legislation, education and health interventions; and
- Removing the barriers to access to health (i.e. financial, cultural, social and others).
A final discussion looked at the MDG and ICPD Frameworks, and how to prioritize girls and women in the post-2015 Framework following the target year of the MDGs.
This workshop is one of several regional consultations in preparation of the Women Deliver Conference, and was supported by PMNCH and several partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Danish International Development Agency, MSD, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, UNAIDS and The World Bank.
Source: http://www.who.int/pmnch/media/news/2012/20120327-28_achievingmdg5/en/index.html