U.N. Secretary-General Ban addresses maternal mortality in Nigeria, IDPs in Cote d'Ivoire

As part of a four-country tour, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday arrived in Nigeria, where he highlighted the importance of fighting maternal and child mortality in the country, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Africa, Agence France-Presse reports (5/22). He "commended the Nigerian authorities for integrating services for maternal, newborn and child health, with programmes on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and nutrition," according to the U.N. News Centre (5/22). 

Ban, along with Jeffrey Sachs, his special adviser on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), met with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, The Nation reports. Ban is scheduled to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday and then to the G8 Summit in France. Prior to traveling to Nigeria, Ban attended the inauguration of Cote d'Ivoire President Alassane Ouattara (Babalola, 5/22). While there, he pledged U.N. support for restoring order following election violence and assured residents of an internally displaced persons' (IDP) camp "that the U.N. will continue providing basic services, such as water, food, shelter and health care and sanitation, to those displaced and others in need until they are able to return to their homes," according to IBNS/Washington Bangla Radio (5/23).