World Leaders Commit to Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health

A decade ago, anti-poverty goals were adopted, and now ways of implementation are being reviewed to push the “Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health.” It’s the project that Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg calls as the key to lasting safety and future security – an effort to save lives from unnecessary deaths of women and children.

World leaders have shown considerable interest in the project, suggesting ways on how to make the project successful and reassuring fulfillment of commitments. U.S. Pres. Barack Obama said, “We will keep our promises and honor our commitments.” In the face of crisis in the global economy, he believes that even the poorest countries can advance the prosperity and security of people far beyond borders.

Just what are these commitments? Governments and nonprofit agencies committed to provide $40 billion dollars that would finance ways of saving 16 million lives of women and children in the next 5 years. On the other hand, deep concerns arose about getting budget as the world struggles with bad economy. Presently, there is an estimated 8 million deaths among children less than 5 years of age, and about 350, 000 women who die during pregnancy and childbirth. Mostly are among the 1 billion people living in less than $1.25 per day.



UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made emphasis on cutting extreme poverty by half through universal primary education as well as by halting and reversing HIV/AIDS pandemic. He said with certainty that the 21st century must be and will be different. Ban’s optimism is shared with by Josette Sheeran, executive director of the U.N.’s World Food Program. She said that the most powerful intervention hunger and poverty is to ensure women have access to food so they can build a future for their children, for themselves, and for their villages. Further, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Rwandan Pres. Paul Kagame, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, as well as Tanzanian PM Mizengo Pinda spoke of ways to tackle maternal and mortality, including childbirth assistance training among midwives and other health care workers, inexpensive vaccine for diseases causing needless deaths among small children.

While there can be access to food and basic health needs, we know that governmental and societal disease could block implementation. As a result, many of those in need are still not able to receive what they most necessitate. Former Chilean Pres. Michelle Bachelet saw solution in making women’s issues a human rights issue, putting emphasis on women’s equality and reduction of deaths among women in pregnancy and childbirth. She said huge commitment to work harder is needed to make big advances on the goals.

In developed countries, the needed information in caring for pregnant women and children are readily available. Even in some third world countries, local health care workers are capable of educating the public. In many lands, vaccines that would protect children from diseases are being administered. Sadly, not all people have access to these valuable information and basic health needs.

Witnessing needless deaths of women and children are unwanted scenes enveloping tales of the less fortunate people. Needless because their deaths are preventable, and the world has the solutions almost 100 years already. However, millions of women and children still die unnecessarily. If you are a health care worker able to see this unfortunate reality, you may as well dedicate sometime of your profession extending them help. But we neither have to be in Cherokee scrubs or Landau scrubs to be able to help, nor should we simply let the government do their job. In our own simple ways, we can directly offer our help by means of providing awareness and financial aid.