RMNCH Advocacy Strategy Implementation Meeting: impact of global frameworks and evidence from Africa
26 MARCH 2012 | KAMPALA, UGANDA - Implementation of the Integrated Strategy for Reproductive Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH), led by the African Union, was discussed in Uganda at an African regional meeting, jointly organized by PMNCH the Africa MNCH Coalition.
This strategy, devised during a consultation in August 2011, promotes alignment of the implementation of several African and global frameworks for women’s and children’s health, including the Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal, Mortality in Africa, The Maputo Plan of Action and the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health.
The session brought together over 140 participants including parliamentarians, representatives of ministries of health, NGOs, professional associations, the media, the private sector, UN agencies, academia, donors and youth, and was held just before the Women Deliver Regional Consultation on 27-28 March 2012 in Kampala, which identified regional priorities to shape the 2013 Women Deliver Conference.
Prof Miriam Were was invited to speak on behalf of the iERG on the interconnection and impact of global frameworks - the Millennium Development Declaration (MDGs 4&5), the UN Global Strategy, the Commission on Information and Accountability and its Recommendations and the iERG - on improving health of women and children, in particular in the African region that remains a major focus of all global health initiatives. Prof Were noted that the global frameworks help increase political engagement and delivery of commitments. They raise awareness and resources and strengthen and expand knowledge and evidence base.
The African Regional RMNCH Advocacy Strategy meeting was of particular interest to the iERG from the perspective of gathering evidence for progress review from the African countries. Knowledge Summaries from PMNCH on RMNCH will represent one of the sources. So far 17 papers have been prepared covering various topics.
New evidence presented by the Countdown to 2015 provides profiles for the countries of the Strategic Workplan where more than 95% of all maternal and child deaths occur. The majority of these countries are from the African region.
The iERG is currently working with all stakeholders to gather evidence for the first report that will be presented to the UN Secretary General in September 2012. As a result of Kampala meeting, Prof Were noted that one of the challenges for the Group will be not so much lack of evidence but rather how to select the evidence to include in the final report.
