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African leaders participating in the 15th African Union (AU) Summit, which concluded on Tuesday, agreed to expand a campaign aimed at curbing maternal mortality on the continent and adopted other “key actions” in an effort to reduce infant and maternal mortality, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.
Summit attendees agreed to extend the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), Bience Gawanas, the AU’s commissioner for social affairs, stated. “The primary objective of CARMMA [which was launched in the AU's health minister conference in May 2009] is to accelerate the availability and use of universally accessible top quality health services which are vital for the reduction of maternal mortality, particularly in countries with high rates,” the news service writes. AU leaders also decided to broaden the campaign to focus on the well being of newborns, in addition to maternal health, Gawanas added.
“The lives of African ladies and young children could be the concern of everybody. This session has been a historic first in the sense that the debate strongly focused on the lives of Africa’s girls and kids in development,” Gawanas stated (7/27).
“Thirteen Member States have launched [CARMMA] nationwide and eight others would do so by the finish of the year. We hope that during this Summit which is getting held under the theme ‘Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa,’ and in the end with the deliberations which we trust is going to be productive, the other Member States will come on board,” H.E Jean Ping, chairperson of the AU Commission, said in an address (.doc) towards the executive council (7/22). Ping said, “We want an Africa exactly where females want not die because they are giving life,” the Daily Monitor reports.
Also in the summit, African leaders renewed the 2001 Abuja Declaration, which calls on African countries to spend at the least “15 percent of their national budgets, excluding donor contributions, on well being,” the Everyday Monitor writes, noting that only “Botswana, Rwanda, Niger, Malawi, Zambia and Burkina are currently meeting this target” (Lirri, 7/28).
Leaders also agreed “to strengthen national wellness systems with comprehensive maternal, newborn and child wellness services,” PANA/Afrique en ligne reports. “Aware with the fact that the majority of African countries would not achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the session also noted that it is important to adopt best well being practices that have already been tested in some of the member states.” In addition, the summit agreement “directed the AU Commission to explore the best mechanism for African countries to access funds pledged by the recent G8 Summit” and called for countries to produce annual reports on maternal and child health to share at future AU meetings (7/27). “The AU appealed to donors who will meet in an October 2010 meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to extend the fund’s support to child and maternal health,” Inter Press Service reports.
Gawanas called the summit “historic.” She said, “[W]e have been asking about political will and leadership and there is certainly no doubt that the AU heads of states and governments have shown the political will to promote maternal and child health on the continent.”
IPS also reports on the reaction of civil society groups who “were initially concerned that the conflict in Somalia … would overshadow the formal theme of the summit.” The post includes reaction from representatives of Save the Young children and Oxfam (Michael, 7/28).
On Monday, Ugandan First Lady Jeannette Museveni highlighted how a lack of water and sanitation results in several child deaths on the continent, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports.
“Each day, 2,000 small Africans die from diarrhoea, while the use of toilets with all the hygiene and wellness conditions can reduce the mortality rate related to this illness by 90 percent,” in accordance with a communique issued Monday on the sidelines of the summit (7/27). Other African initial ladies joined Museveni’s call for “African leaders to improve access to potable water to tackle child mortality,” Leadership/allAfrica.com reports. “If we do not multiply and improve our efforts, if we do not recognise the integrated nature of Africa’s development, by improving the well being of our young children and our mothers, they is going to be extremely challenged,” Museveni stated on behalf of the first ladies (7/27).
On Tuesday, State Department officials held a briefing on the AU summit. A full transcript is available (7/27).
WFP Wants To Help Africans Address Hunger, Promote Self-Sufficiency, WFP Head Says
The U.N. is committed to helping African nations address hunger and malnutrition, but also aims to help the continent feed itself, Josette Sheeran, executive director with the World Food Program (WFP), told leaders the AU Summit, the U.N. News Centre reports.
“When designed right, social protection programmes including school meals, food-for-education and food-for-work are foundations for not just beating hunger and malnutrition, but also drivers for agricultural development and faster economic growth,” she stated. Food aid programs are sometimes the biggest purchasers from smallholder farms, she stated. “They help create community infrastructure like roads, irrigation, food processing and storage connecting farmers to markets. They help ensure that farmers and others benefit from the food supply chain so food reaches the individuals who want it most,” in accordance with Sheeran who highlighted the “Purchase for Progress (P4P) initiative by which WFP buys surplus from local farmers’ organizations for its aid operations,” the news service writes.
“WFP envisions the day when its emergency operations in Africa will likely be largely supplied by African farmers. We are gearing programmes to empower folks to be food self-sufficient and contribute towards the food supply chain,” she said (7/27).
U.N. Official Discusses Importance Of Malaria Fight With African Leaders
Also in the summit, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro told the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) that the fight against malaria is a central component of strengthening the wellness of girls and youngsters and making progress toward other MDGs, the U.N. News Centre writes.
“If you continue to see malaria manage as an integral component of reaching the MDGs … of building strong wellness systems … of improving your people’s well-being … then the success we have noticed to date will continue, and grow,” Migiro stated. She noted ALMA’s recent efforts, “including ensuring pooled procurement of goods and services, and eliminating taxes and tariffs on these life-saving products,” the news service writes. “The new investments you triggered are now paying off,” she said. Though she highlighted some significant achievements in malaria manage more than the last few years, she said, “these results stay fragile, and tremendous challenges remain.”
“The challenges she cited include finishing the job of scaling up life-saving measures, noting that 85 percent of the world’s malaria cases and 90 percent of malaria-related deaths still occur in Africa. She stated it is also vital to address the emergence of mosquitoes that are resistant to many of the insecticides used on mosquito nets and for indoor spraying, such as by training more experts to monitor and analyse this situation.”
“Malaria is an ancient enemy. The fight against it will probably be lengthy,” in accordance with Migiro. “But we are on the road to success. With perseverance, we will win” (7/27).
This data was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family members Foundation. You are able to view the entire Kaiser Every day Global Well being Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for e-mail delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.
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