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Developing maternal and child health (MCH) acceleration plans in the Region, 17–19 June 2013
Work to finalize MCH acceleration plans towards MDG 4 and 5 moved a step further in a meeting in Cairo on 17 to 19 June 2013. This work was part of the regional initiative on saving the lives of mothers and children to accelerate progress towards reduction of maternal and child deaths in the Region, launched at the High-level meeting held in Dubai, 29–30 January 2013. The initiative includes 10 countries, namely Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.
In the Dubai Declaration at the High-level meeting, ministers of health and delegates of countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, representatives of United Nations agencies and international, regional and national institutions committed among others to develop, launch and execute a national plan for maternal and child health with clear coverage targets.
In line with this commitment, countries established national task forces including representatives of ministries of health and the three UN agencies which have launched the initiative—namely WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA—and started work to develop their acceleration plans.
Plans focus on intensifying efforts in selected areas in each country which have higher mortality and lower coverage of cost-effective interventions, to reduce inequity and maximize impact. The UN agencies and national teams held video- and telephone-conferences and meetings and exchanged comments to support and follow up the process.
National programme managers from 6 of the 10 priority countries which are the focus of the initiative and technical partners participated in the meeting in Cairo, such as staff from the regional offices of WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF and from WHO/HQ.
All countries were able to revise their plans during the meeting, with technical support from the UN partners. As a result of this work, a close-to-final version was expected to be ready for review by 27 June 2013.
It was envisaged that the national plans, once finalized, would be officially launched in a high-level event in each country with a large representation of key stakeholders.
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High-level meeting on saving the lives of mothers and children: accelerating progress towards achieving MDGs 4 and 5 in the Region, 29-30 January 2013
A high-level meeting on “Saving the lives of mothers and children: accelerating progress towards achieving MDGs 4 and 5 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” was organized by the WHO Regional Office, in collaboration with UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund, to prioritize the health of women and children. The event took place in Dubai, from 29 to 30 January 2013, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. It was attended by leading figures, including high-level officials from Member States, key partners, parliamentarians, ministers of health, higher education and planning and representatives of regional bodies and stakeholders.
Meeting objectives
The two-day event provided a platform for a leadership dialogue to:
increase the profile and commitment to maternal, adolescent, and child health (including newborns) with a focus on equity;
facilitate policy dialogue for accelerated action towards the achievement of universal access to maternal, adolescent, newborn and child health services in the Region;
discuss and agree on evidence-based packages for care and implementation strategies across the continuum of care;
establish a high-level regional commission for women and children. The commission will track progress in implementation, advocate and mobilize resources, and hold countries accountable for improving the lives of women and children.
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Inter-regional capacity building training courses on "Counselling on care for development", 5–7 and 9–11 February 2002
The Regional Office collaborated in the conduct of two inter-regional training courses on “Counselling on care for development”, which were held at Bab El-Sha'erya University hospital, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, from 5 to 7 February and 9 to 11 February 2002.
The objectives of the two courses were to build the capacity of WHO staff from the different WHO Regions in this particular area. The initiative also provided the background to facilitate the incorporation of the child psychosocial development component in the IMCI (Integrated Management of Childhood Illness) guidelines in interested countries in the Region.
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