UNICEF: "Women Deliver 2010" addresses maternal health and child survival

http://www.unicef.org/health/index_53817.html

NEW YORK, 4 June 2010 -- UNICEF and other international leaders in maternal health and child survival will meet in Washington, DC next week to accelerate a global campaign aimed at reducing deaths of pregnant women and young children.

Participants in the 'Women Deliver 2010' conference will seek more such commitments, with a focus on political, economic, cultural and technological solutions to the crisis in maternal and newborn health.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake will join delegates in emphasizing that the Millennium Development Goals can be met only by investing in women -- and that the 2015 deadline for the MDGs is achievable if funds are committed.

MDG 5 calls for reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three-quarters by the 2015 target date, while MDG 4 aims to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds. If current trends continue, however, the 68 countries covered in 'Countdown to 2015' will face a $60 billion gap in funding for the maternal, newborn and child-health interventions needed to meet these goals.

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