Delegates at 126th IPU Assembly in Uganda focus on child, maternal health

"Over 600 parliamentarians from more than 100 countries" met in Kampala, Uganda, this week for the 126th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, where participants discussed child and maternal health and nutrition, UNICEF reports in a news article. Speaking at the opening session, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said, "The damage [malnutrition] causes to a child's development is irreversible. ... I can't think of any greater inequity than condemning children, while in the womb, to a loss of their ability, of their right, to live fully … to learn fully … and to realize their potential," according to the article (Ponet, 4/5). "During a panel discussion on tackling malnutrition, Dr. Werner Schultink, the UNICEF Chief of Nutrition, urged legislators to be at the vanguard of the fight against malnutrition through application of their legislative power and influence," Uganda's The Observer notes (Kakaire, 4/4).

In a resolution passed at the Assembly on Wednesday, "parliamentarians were urged to ensure a coordinated approach to all matters pertaining to maternal and child health, such as sanitation, access to safe drinking water, the fight against malnutrition, and gender quality," Rwanda's New Times writes (Muramira, 4/5). In a separate article, the New Times reports on Rwanda's efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality rates (Iribagiza, 4/5).