U.N. Commission releases recommendations aimed at improving accountability on women's and children's health

The U.N. Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health on Monday concluded a meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and announced a new set of recommendations aimed at improving the accountability of women's and children's health programs in the developing world, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.

"Specific approaches recommended by the commission included assistance for poor countries to develop better ways of gathering important health data in order to improve understanding of health needs and where resources should be focused," the news service writes. "The commission recommended a coordinated system for tracking health spending on women and children," and it also suggested national and global oversight "to establish a feedback mechanism that supports continuous improvement in delivery of health services for women and children," PANA/Afrique en ligne reports (5/3).

"All partners are mutually accountable for the promises they make and the health policies and programmes they design and implement," Jakaya Kikwete, president of Tanzania and co-chair of the commission, said in a press release. "Tracking resources and results of public health spending is critical for transparency, credibility and ensuring that much-needed funds are used to save the lives of women and children," Kikwete added. The recommendations "come after more than five months of in-depth discussions and work across a high-level group of global leaders," according to the release (5/2).

The Guardian/IPP Media reports on the opening of the meeting, which featured remarks from WHO Director-General Margaret Chan and Kikwete (Tarimo, 5/2).