As a follow up to the UN Millennium Development Goal’s summit in New York, Union health ministry and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health will jointly hold a global forum on the women’s and children’s health in Delhi from November 12 to 14.

The high-profile discussion forum aimed at furthering the MDG targets in India is likely to be inaugurated by the President of India and addressed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of Malawi who is also the chair of African Union.

This Forum is especially significant as it is a follow up of the UN Secretary-General’s launching of the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health at the UN Millennium Development Goal’s Summit held in New York, 20-22 September, 2010.

“Each year, millions of women and children die from preventable causes. These are not mere statistics, they are people with names and faces. Their suffering is unacceptable in the 21st Century. We must, therefore, do more for the newborn who succumbs to infection for want of a simple injection: for the young boy who will never reach his full potential because of malnutrition. We must do more for the teenage girl facing an unwanted pregnancy; for the married woman who has found she is infected with the HIV virus; and for the mother who faces complications in childbirth”, said UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

“Our meetings with The Partnership in India this year, to discuss the MDG’s 4 and 5 on reducing maternal and child mortality, have been extremely valuable on both a National and International basis. Together we have also tackled some of the most important related issues in India itself. These include the importance of increasing midwifery training, improving the strength and coherence of advocacy messaging in regard to reducing maternal and child deaths, promoting community and media monitoring, and addressing social determinants of maternal and child mortality in India, such as early marriage. During this year of very significant events, The Partnership is making a tremendous contribution towards progress. We look forward to even closer engagement with it this year and beyond”, said Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Around 700 participants from around the world and India, including health and development ministers, senior government and UN officials, donors, health care professionals, civil society representatives and academics will review the commitments made to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health and will identify action to be taken by the partners. Over the past decade many countries have taken significant steps towards achieving the MDGs, but there is need for renewed energy and commitment in this last mile, particularly in regard to achieving MDGs, to reduce child mortality and to improve maternal health.

“This year, the issue of maternal, newborn and child health has reached the top of the political agenda. From the G8 Muskoka Initiative and the African Union, to the UN Secretary General’s Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health, the world has agreed that it is time to join forces and act together in moving pledges to action”, according to Dr Julio Frenk, Chair, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health

The Forum programme is being designed with the hope of directing all efforts towards driving the key goals identified in the Global Strategy; to strengthen our resources for accountability, to share the knowledge and networks needed to scale-up models for change, and to deepen our connections across sectors and across regions to enhance financing, policies and service delivery.