22 September, 2013
Ministers and government officials, leaders of UN agencies, NGOs and advocates, academic experts, and nearly 150 others came together in New York to vow greater efforts on accountability for women’s and children’s health. “Accountability for Results: Keeping our Promises to Women and Children” marked the second annual Sunday accountability breakfast organized by Countdown to 2015, the independent Expert Review Group on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health (iERG), and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH).
Countdown at the UN General Assembly: Accountability for Results
22 September, 2013
Ministers and government officials, leaders of UN agencies, NGOs and advocates, academic experts, and nearly 150 others came together in New York to vow greater efforts on accountability for women’s and children’s health. “Accountability for Results: Keeping our Promises to Women and Children” marked the second annual Sunday accountability breakfast organized by Countdown to 2015, the independent Expert Review Group on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health (iERG), and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH).
The event kicked off the annual UN General Assembly week by highlighting a range of important new evidence, and featured two new Countdown papers. In the first, lead author Dr. Neff Walker presented a paper, just published in a special issue of The Lancet on Countdown and MDG progress, that focused on projections of newborn and child survival to 2035. The second presentation, by Dr. Shams el-Arifeen, offered evidence from a Countdown country case study of maternal health progress in Bangladesh (publication forthcoming). Countdown co-chair Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta also presented an update on global and country-level accountability efforts, entitled “Accountability for Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival: Where are we now?”
Two important reports were also launched at the event: Strengthening Equity and Dignity through Health, the iERG’s second annual report; and PMNCH’s 2013 report, Analyzing Progress on Commitments to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health. The presentations were accompanied by a preview of the new Investment Framework for Women’s and Children’s Health, presented by Dr Flavia Bustreo of WHO. Speakers called for the development of transparent, real-time information and data systems, as well as much greater attention to adolescent health, newborn health, and quality of care.
The meeting was chaired by Anuradha Gupta of the Government of India, and Carole Presern, Executive Director of PMNCH, and included remarks by WHO Director-General Margaret Chan and by Richard Horton and Joy Phumaphi, co-chairs of the iERG. “This is a watershed moment in our attempt to influence the pace of development in our countries, “ said Ms. Phumpahi. “We believe that results are not just a result of increased efforts, but of accountability. This is our important message: We cannot wait until 2015 to have effective accountability mechanisms in place. We need to demonstrate now that it works.”
More information about the event, and links to presentations, is available here.