Jordi Serrano Pons (Zero Mothers Die), Sheila Tlou (Regional Director, UNAIDS & former Minister of Health, Botswana), Jeannine Lemaire (Zero Mothers Die)
Jordi Serrano Pons and Jeannine Lemaire participated as representatives of Zero Mothers Die in the key discussions during the 2014 PMNCH Partners' Forum in Johannesburg to identify targets for healthy women and children for the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.
Dr. Serrano and Ms. Lemaire were also invited to the high-level session during which GSMA launched their mHealth cross-ecosystem partnership designed to provide a range of mHealth services to 15.5 million pregnant women, mothers and children under five across Sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus on nutrition and HIV/AIDS. Professor Sheila Tlou, Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa and former Minister of Health of Botswana, spoke on behalf of UNAIDS and Zero Mothers Die at the launch event, alongside CEOs of Samsung, MTN and Mobilium, as well as chief executives from Merck for Mothers, MDG Health Alliance, PATH and others.
Summary of the Partners' Forum
The PMNCH Partners' Forum sessions and plenaries were insightful and critical to bringing together the public, private and non-profit sectors to not only discuss but collaborate on solutions for maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). Leading experts discussed the following topics at key sessions:
- the necessity for data, accountability, and equitable access to care,
- key areas of HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, immunization, NCDs, and quality care at birth,
- investing in adolescents
- success factors in-country for women's and children's health,
- addressing the digital divide and gender gap,
- scaling up and leveraging innovations, solutions and partnerships for improving MNCH
- and more.
Two key reports were also launched at the forum:
| Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) Landmark global action plan outlines strategy to prevent 2.9 million newborn deaths [led by WHO and UNICEF]
Countdown to 2015 and beyond: Fulfilling the Health Agenda for Women and Children 'Unfinished business' on maternal and child health needs to be addressed now and prioritized in post-2015 health and development frameworks. |   |
As the Forum draws to a close, Zero Mothers Die looks forward to bringing the key information discussed into practice through our advocacy and programmatic work in countries.
