Latin countries and Chile’s leader renew commitment to saving lives
24 AUGUST 2009 | SANTIAGO, CHILE - A regional consultation brought together several Latin American countries to discuss next steps in their cooperation to save maternal and child lives. The regional consultation brought together representatives from Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Paraguay as part of the regional initiative "Actuemos Ya por las mujeres y los niños" (Deliver Now for women and children)'
Launched in September 2008 in Santiago de Chile by Chilean President Bachelet and Norwegian Prime Minister Stoltenberg, the project established a maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) regional network of south-south cooperation among Latin American countries. The initiative focuses on the sharing of best practices in MNCH implementation and increasing human resources capacity for MNCH. Participating countries to date include: Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Paraguay. The meeting was opened by the Chilean Minister of Health (Dr. Alvaro Erazo) and had high-level representation from the Panamerican Health Organization and from participating countries. Dr Andres de Francisco represented PMNCH at the event.
Following the opening session, President Bachelet invited selected participants to the Palacio de la Moneda for a discussion on the implementation and future of the project. The meeting, which lasted over one hour, focused on the need to work together to enhance cooperation among countries in the region in order to save maternal and child lives through the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 (to reduce maternal and child mortality) and MDG 1 (to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger).