Putting mothers and children at the top of the agenda

Global progress on reducing child and maternal mortality is off-track. Renewed commitment at the highest level is needed, as stressed at the recently organized Countdown to 2015 Conference in Cape Town. By planning the event to concur with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the conference managed to reach critical decision- and policy-makers.

The second Countdown to 2015 Conference took place in Cape Town 17-19 April. Attended by more than 500 participants, including 14 ministers and 14 deputy-ministers, the conference allowed to present hard data on the status of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) and bring the issues higher up in the global agenda.

In conjunction to the conference, the latest report on the state of the global progress towards MDGs 4 and 5 was released. The report includes country profiles and describes the coverage of key MNCH interventions in 68 high-burden countries, their trends since 1990, and inequities by wealth quintiles.

The decision to organize the Second Countdown Conference in Cape Town, South Africa was based on the fact that countries in sub-Saharan Africa have the highest burden of maternal, newborn and child mortality. While there is evidence that some countries have been successful in accelerating progress, the situation in many countries is stagnating or even reversing.

Advocacy at the highest level

The event was an important milestone following a wave of recent international advocacy efforts to mobilize global commitment and actions in MNCH, which is why the countdown included "A global call for G8 Leaders and other donors to champion maternal, newborn and child health".

The conference took place in concurrence with the 118th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which was also organized in Cape Town. The IPU Assembly gathered more than 1,000 Parliamentarians from all countries. A special two hour session was organized between the Countdown participants and a delegation of IPU Parliamentarians. This represented a great opportunity for the Countdown to sensitize decision- and policy-makers to MNCH issues.

A full statement of commitment was also developed by the delegates of the Countdown conference which highlights their commitment to concerted, coordinated action to improving millions of lives of mothers, newborns and children by the year 2015. Among the delegates included: Ministers, parliamentarians, country delegations and all participations to the Conference.

The Conference itself was organized around a series of plenary sessions that cover the main topics addressed by the working groups, i.e. intervention coverage, equity, health systems and human resources, financial flows and aid harmonization. Special emphasis was placed on parallel sessions to present country case studies and examples of successful experiences. Powerpoints and other information pertaining to the conference will be made available on the Conference website.

A special Lancet Issue

To supplement the 2008 Countdown 2015 Report, The Lancet published a special issue with key research articles. The articles and commentaries cover encouraging progresses and tremendous challenges countries are facing in advancing towards the Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5.

One of the commentaries included in this Special Issues is written by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg; "Delivering for women and children".

Who and what is the Countdown to 2015?

Countdown to 2015: Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival is a collaborative effort of United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, and other institutions and individuals established to track progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 1, 4 and 5, and promote evidence-based information for better health investments and decisions by policy-makers regarding health needs at the country level.

The Countdown to 2015 is guided by a Steering Team and eight Working Groups related to the topics of country profiles: equity; health systems; human resources; financial flows; policies; data interpretation; media, communication and advocacy; secretariat. All groups work towards the promotion and advocacy of intervention coverage for maternal, newborn and child health.