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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

SOGC urges strategy for preventing deaths during delivery, childbirth

As the G8 approaches, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) is urging the Canadian government to recognize that a strategy on maternal and child health must focus on preventing deaths during delivery and childbirth as 80% of maternal deaths in low-resource countries take place at that time.

4 Jun 2010

Canada willing to spend $1B on G8 maternal, child health initiative

Canada has told other G8 countries that it "is willing to put about $1 billion toward maternal and child health - as long as other countries ante up, too," the Canadian Press/Winnipeg Free Press reports.

2 Jun 2010

Obama's National Security Strategy released, includes global health, food security priorities

"The Obama administration on Thursday released a sweeping statement of its national security goals," the Los Angeles Times reports. The 52-page document "calls for the United States to strengthen international institutions, to heed treaties and norms, and to build stronger ties to allies, including to the emerging powers of India, Brazil and China.

29 May 2010

Globe and Mail examines links between maternal health, HIV/AIDS ahead of G8 summit

"While the G8 is putting maternal health at the top of its agenda for next month's summit, fears are growing that the club of wealthy nations is neglecting one of the biggest killers of women: AIDS," the Globe and Mail reports in a piece that examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and what the newspaper describes as the G8's "backtracking" on previous pledges to provide universal access HIV/AIDS drugs.

29 May 2010

G8 summit recommendations: Funding and resources for maternal, child health must be increased

Governments and other organizations must intensify efforts to improve the health of women and children, particularly in the developing world where the lion's share of deaths occur, says Dr. Philip Baker, an internationally renowned medical researcher in obstetrics & gynecology. Baker is the lead author on a G8 positioning paper that included consultations with 20 of the world's leading medical experts on women and children's health.

27 May 2010

Global scientific research organizations release recommendations for how G8 should improve maternal, child health

The Royal Society of Canada, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and other scientific research organizations from around the world released a statement on Tuesday with recommendations for G8 countries on how to improve the health of women and children worldwide, the Toronto Star reports.

27 May 2010

With 7.7M child deaths expected this year, study finds global child deaths falling faster than expected

Researchers estimate that 7.7 million children under the age of 5 will die this year, an indication that global child deaths "seem to have fallen faster than officials thought," according to a study, published online Monday in the Lancet, the Associated Press reports (Cheng, 5/23).

25 May 2010

Maternal Health News and Research

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

SOGC urges strategy for preventing deaths during delivery, childbirth

Canada willing to spend $1B on G8 maternal, child health initiative

Obama's National Security Strategy released, includes global health, food security priorities

Globe and Mail examines links between maternal health, HIV/AIDS ahead of G8 summit

G8 summit recommendations: Funding and resources for maternal, child health must be increased

Global scientific research organizations release recommendations for how G8 should improve maternal, child health

With 7.7M child deaths expected this year, study finds global child deaths falling faster than expected

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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