Maternal Health News and Research

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G8 leaders to discuss economic policy, developing world, maternal and child health, Haitian rebuilding

Ahead of the G8 summit, which begins Friday in Canada, "leaders engaged in a series of dueling letters and interviews that exposed their conflicts" in how to foster global economic recovery, the Associated Press reports.

28 Jun 2010

U.N. Secretary-General to ask G20 for additional $60B over 5 years for maternal, child health

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he plans to ask the G20 to follow through on aid promises and to commit an additional $60 billion over five years for lowering maternal and child mortality rates worldwide, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

25 Jun 2010

G8 Summit needs to focus on MDGs to address AIDS crisis: IAS

In 2005 the international community made an historic commitment to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care by 2010 at the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. Despite important progress, the world is not yet on track to achieve this commitment, and there are troubling signs that donors and implementing countries are capping or shrinking funding for the HIV response.

24 Jun 2010

Mixed progress on MDGs, additional advancement still possible, report says

Poverty rates in 10 African countries have been halved over the last two decades, while child mortality rates have gone up in six sub-Saharan African countries, according to a report (.pdf) from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the U.N. Millennium Campaign, which emphasized that progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is possible, the Associated Press/St. Petersburg Times reports (Straziuso, 6/22).

24 Jun 2010

Globalpost examines efforts to stop violence against women worldwide

"Thirty years after the first treaty on women's rights was adopted by the United Nations, millions of cases involving beatings, marital rapes, honor killings and genital mutilation lead to deaths, medical injuries, failed pregnancies, abortions and psychological damage," according to a GlobalPost article that reports on the rising number of individuals, communities and governments worldwide committing to end violence against women.

24 Jun 2010

Report says G8 countries short $10B on $50B commitment, reveals mixed progress on health goals

An accountability report, prepared by officials in G8 member countries' foreign affairs departments, acknowledges that G8 "countries are $10 billion behind the five-year, $50-billion commitment they made at their 2005 summit in Scotland," the Canadian Press/CTV News reports (6/20).

22 Jun 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

The U.N.'s plan to improve maternal health is lacking "the one element that will make it work. Human rights," according to blog post on Huffington Post. "Medical causes of maternal death - hemorrhage, sepsis, hypertension, unsafe abortion, HIV and AIDS - are inextricably linked to human rights. Each one of these instances can be prevented or treated by simply respecting women's human rights in health policies and delivery of services, and addressing systemic gender inequality."

19 Jun 2010

Experts discuss G8 aid commitments

Economist Jeffrey Sachs said Wednesday that the G8 could endanger its credibility if leaders fail to fulfill several "broken multi-billion-dollar pledges" aimed at helping the developing world, Canwest News Service/Vancouver Sun reports.

18 Jun 2010

VOA News examines countdown to 2015 report calling for additional 700,000 midwives to reduce maternal, newborn deaths worldwide

VOA News examines the Countdown to 2015 report, which says that a lack of trained birth attendants is contributing to more than two million stillbirths, maternal and newborn deaths annually (Smith, 6/15).

17 Jun 2010

Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, Spanish government announce $150M for health projects in Central America, Mexico

Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Carlos Slim, the "Mexican telecom magnate" and founder of the Carlos Slim Institute, announced Monday that they would work with Spain on a $150 million health initiative for people in Central America and Mexico, Agence France-Presse reports.

16 Jun 2010

Women Deliver conference concludes

The Women Deliver conference concluded on Wednesday, as attendees "celebrated benchmark achievements in reducing maternal and infant mortality and faced stubborn failures at the same time," Womens eNews reports.

11 Jun 2010

Report urges Canada to increase foreign aid spending for G8 maternal, child health initiative

The coalition Make Poverty History released a report on Wednesday, which praises Canada's spending on food aid and programs aimed at fighting diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, but it also says Canada should spend more on its maternal and child health G8 initiative, the Canadian Press/CTV News reports.

11 Jun 2010

First clinical trial among African women to test vaginal ring that prevents HIV transmission

The nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides today announced the initiation of the first trial among women in Africa testing a vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral drug that could one day be used to prevent HIV transmission during sex. The clinical trial, known as IPM 015, tests the safety and acceptability of an innovative approach that adapts a successful technology from the reproductive health field to give women around the world a tool to protect themselves from HIV infection.

9 Jun 2010

Experts call on international community to commit attention and resources to cervical cancer prevention

Women's health leaders today called on the international community to commit the resources needed to ensure that women and girls worldwide have equal access to cervical cancer prevention technologies. At the WOMEN DELIVER conference, the Declaration for Universal Access to Cervical Cancer Prevention was issued by leading women's health, cancer and business organizations, including PATH, the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the International Union Against Cancer.

9 Jun 2010

Gates Foundation announces 5-year, $1.5 billion commitment for maternal, child health

During the Women Deliver conference on Monday Melinda Gates announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation "will spend $1.5 billion over the next five years on maternal and child health, family planning and nutrition in developing countries, a pledge that signals a new focus for the foundation known for concentrating on vaccines and AIDS," the Wall Street Journal reports (Jordan, 6/7).

9 Jun 2010

Opinions: Improving maternal health

"Delivering A Better Future For Women and Girls," East African (Manguyu, 6/7).

8 Jun 2010

UNFPA, CARE partner to improve health of women and girls

Leaders from UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund, and CARE International announced today at the Women Deliver Conference an agreement to enhance collaboration on maternal health programs in more than 25 countries. This unique collaboration will bring together UNFPA's effective work with national governments and CARE's expertise in engaging local communities.

8 Jun 2010

G8 final communique draft shows agreement on maternal, child health initiative, funding amounts not yet set

A final communique draft completed last month for the upcoming G8 summit states that leaders will agree on a maternal health initiative that focuses on improving access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, in the developing world, the Globe and Mail reports. The draft leaves "G8 countries free to decide whether their programs on reproductive health will fund abortions" (Clark, 6/4).

8 Jun 2010

U.N. Secretary-General, Sec. of State Clinton address Women Deliver conference

Governments worldwide should work with the U.N. on a joint action plan to significantly improve the health of women and children around the world by 2015, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a speech at the opening of the Women Deliver conference on Monday in Washington, DC, Agence France-Presse reports.

8 Jun 2010

British PM calls for G8, G20 to reduce maternal mortality, announces new health worker training fund

In a Guardian opinion piece, published on Thursday, British Prime Minister David Cameron says G8 and G20 nations should reduce maternal mortality in developing countries and set "'an ambitious target' of saving three million more lives by 2015," the Guardian reports (Watt, 6/3).

5 Jun 2010

Maternal Health News and Research

G8 leaders to discuss economic policy, developing world, maternal and child health, Haitian rebuilding

U.N. Secretary-General to ask G20 for additional $60B over 5 years for maternal, child health

G8 Summit needs to focus on MDGs to address AIDS crisis: IAS

Mixed progress on MDGs, additional advancement still possible, report says

Globalpost examines efforts to stop violence against women worldwide

Report says G8 countries short $10B on $50B commitment, reveals mixed progress on health goals

Recent releases in Global Health

Experts discuss G8 aid commitments

VOA News examines countdown to 2015 report calling for additional 700,000 midwives to reduce maternal, newborn deaths worldwide

Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, Spanish government announce $150M for health projects in Central America, Mexico

Women Deliver conference concludes

Report urges Canada to increase foreign aid spending for G8 maternal, child health initiative

First clinical trial among African women to test vaginal ring that prevents HIV transmission

Experts call on international community to commit attention and resources to cervical cancer prevention

Gates Foundation announces 5-year, $1.5 billion commitment for maternal, child health

Opinions: Improving maternal health

UNFPA, CARE partner to improve health of women and girls

G8 final communique draft shows agreement on maternal, child health initiative, funding amounts not yet set

U.N. Secretary-General, Sec. of State Clinton address Women Deliver conference

British PM calls for G8, G20 to reduce maternal mortality, announces new health worker training fund

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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