The PMNCH 2012 Report
Launch Brunch: PMNCH, Countdown & iERG
WHAT: Brunch: “Keeping Promises, Measuring Results: How Are We Measuring Up?”
WHEN: 23 Septembre, 10:00 H - 12:30 H at the UN Millennium Plaza Hotel
The objective of this joint PMNCH/iERG/Countdown to 2015 event was to present and discuss recent reports and analyses related to accountability for women’s and children’s health *:
Summary
- First annual report of the independent Expert Review Group (iERG): first of the four annual reviews that the iERG will complete up to and including the Millennium Development Goal target date of 2015. Summarizes progress on the Global Strategy on Women's and Children's Health and the recommendations of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health.
- PMNCH 2012 Report on commitments to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health: analysis of progress on implementation of commitments, special thematic focuses on financial commitments, health workers and national accountability mechanisms.
- 2012 report of Countdown to 2015: analysis of progress on maternal, newborn and child survival, coverage of RMNCH interventions, equity, financial policies, and policies and health systems.
- Latest Lancet Countdown series: equity in coverage of key RMNCH interventions, international development assistance for MNCH in 2003-2010, case study of Niger.
Find related links on your right to each of these reports.
The event was attended by about 125 participants including senior staff from ministries of health, UN agencies and other multilateral organization, civil society, bilateral donors, academia, foundations and the private sector. Participants agreed that there has been progress on women’s and children’s health, as evidenced by global reductions in maternal and child mortality and country success stories such as Niger, but that much remains to be done to accelerate progress and strengthen accountability to further advance women’s and children’s health. This includes addressing gaps in support to countries, gaps in support to interventions along the continuum of care, and gaps in financial resources – both domestic and international.
Quotes from the brunch via WRA Youtube video
Dr Babtunde Osotimehin Executive Director UNFPA
“We have political leaders, especially in regards to maternal mortality reduction in Africa, making commitments, but it does not translate to what the Ministry of Health, or Youth or Gender is doing. We need to make it trickle down to inform programmes on the ground and ensure actual progress. That ensures that we must provide resources. And we must ensure tracking of resources.
“What we need to do is advocate for clear plans, advocate for resources, and we must track resources, implementation and we must make sure what we are evaluating what we are doing. “
Professor Zulfiqar Chair of Countdown
“ People don’t know what their rights are, what is the access issue for essential services. If that information is available, and if people know what is the true status of what their rights are, it gives you a true framework to negotiate with policy makers in many countries.
“Yes, coverage rates have been achieved in some countries, but largely for the rich, and the poor have remained where they are. So tracking those differences, those inequities, those in-just inequalities is absolutely critical in giving citizens a voice, communities the empowerment to negotiate that with politicians and policy makers.”
Dr Richard Horton from the Lancet and iERG Chair
“Everyone is seeing a contraction in the resources that are being spent on .women and children. Donor aid is going down in countries they are facing very perilous budgets. So we have to make sure that the money that is spent is being used in the best way possible. And that’s why accountability matters so much.
“It is not just about putting out a profits and loss account of what is being spent on women’s and children’s health. It is actually about .sing accountability to accelerate progress in a human rights framework, so that we really value the life of every woman and every child and we see that they have the best possible future. And advocacy is crucial to that.
“I think the worry that we have is that we see the money for advocacy going down too. We have very technical arguments, but we are not reaching the political leaders, the presidents and prime ministers. We need to reach the presidents to get real change, transformation in the countries. And that is about effective advocacy. “
White Ribbon Alliance Youtube Video
The White Ribbon Alliance Citizens' Voice team report from ''Keeping Promises, Measuring Results'' a key meeting held by the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health at the UN General Assembly in New York, where partners came together to discuss three key reports that look at progress on commitments to women and children.
WRA spoke to Dr Babtunde Osotimehin Executive Director, UNFPA, Professor Zulfiqar Chair of Countdown and Dr Richard Horton from the Lancet who gave reflections on why accountability is so important, and what the next steps should be to match up accountability efforts at the global level with what is happening nationally to continue to drive progress.