As the United Nations General Assembly begins its annual high-level session on Monday, world leaders are set to reaffirm their commitments to a UN action plan aimed at placing people at the centre of development, and to consider new population challenges.
A special session of the General Assembly is being convened to mark the 20th anniversary of the landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), providing an opportunity for Heads of State and other Government representatives to examine 20 years of actions taken to improve people's lives and address population issues.
The International Conference, held in Cairo in 1994, was a watershed moment in the history of the debate about the relationship between population and development. The ICPD achieved a remarkable consensus among 179 UN Member States and others that the rights and well-being of individuals should be the central focus of efforts to promote social and economic development.
Maternal and neonatal death rates remain stubbornly high, studies show. But the solutions to these problems are known, and deceptively simple. Photo credit: Jerome Sessini/Magnum Photos
NEW YORK, United States – There are fewer than 500 days left to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and too little progress has been made towards reducing maternal and child deaths. Yet simple, proven interventions can make these goals attainable, said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA’s Executive Director, at the fifth annual Social Good Summit, a conference of world leaders, activists and technology experts, held today in New York.
The Summit, which reaches tens of thousands of people through a livestream and through community meet-ups, seeks to engage leaders, innovators and individuals on the use of technology to improve lives around the world.
But even basic technologies remain elusive for many women during pregnancy and childbirth, noted panellists at the session, which was titled Simple Ways to Change Lives.
“It’s the reality for so many women in Africa to not have access to hospitals and skilled care and lights and water and all kinds of things,” said Liya Kebede, a fashion model and World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for maternal health.
Tracking Financial Commitments to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health
Executive Summary
Background
This is the fourth annual report that the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) has undertaken since 2011 on analyzing commitments to the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health (Global Strategy) and their implementation. This year’s report focuses exclusively on the commitments made to the Global Strategy that were specifically expressed in financial terms. It provides (i) an update on the estimated value of financial commitments, (ii) the progress made in their disbursement and implementation, (iii) an analysis of how these commitments have affected financing for reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) more broadly, and (iv) an assessment of the degree to which financial commitments and overall RMNCH funding are aligned with the priorities spelled out in the Global Investment Framework for Women’s and Children’s Health (GIF), and the Global Health 2035 roadmap, published by The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health (CIH).
The analysis in this report is focused on commitments that were listed on the Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) website, and covers commitments for the timeframe of the Global Strategy (2011 – 2015).
The PMNCH 2014 Report – Executive Summary
Извор: Светска здравствена организација – 21.09.2014
III Neglect, abuse & violence against older women
22. In 2012, the second review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action showed that abuse and violence against older persons had become a growing concern for Member States, in all regions, regardless of their level of development (A/68/167). The findings drew specific attention to the abuse and violence directed at older women, as accused of witchcraft in a number of African and some Asian countries, and as the financial abuse of women in terms of lacking assets owing to discriminatory property and inheritance laws.
23. In the wake of the growing attention to these issues, the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, pursuant to General Assemhly Resolution 67/143, organized the Expert Group Meeting on Neglect, Abuse and Violence of Older Women, which was held from 5 to 7 November 2013, and in 2013 issued the Publication Neglect, Abuse & Violence against Older Women
24. The Expert Group Meeting focused on the conceptual, policy and societal challenges related to neglect, abuse and violence against older women.....
25. The publication Neglect, Abuse and Violence against Older Women, presents an overview of the current state of knowledge of the main forms of abuse, the risk factors and the consequences for health, and discusses the prevalence of the different forms of abuse and the sources of data. It also gives an account of some of the main preventative measures for addressing such neglect, violence and abuse.
Pictured from left to right: UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka; President of UN General Assembly Sam Kahamba Kutesa; UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson; UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Madam Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek; and actor Kiefer Sutherland. Photo: UN Women/Simon Luethi
Launching one of the largest solidarity movements of the 21st century, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, opened a star-studded event in New York this evening with strong calls on men and boys worldwide to raise their voiced for gender equality today and women's empowerment.
“Over the years, men have supported the women's movement. But for the most part, it was just that: a women's movement – when in fact gender equality is the responsibility of all people,” the Secretary-General said in opening remarks at the launch of the UN Women HeForShe campaign.
Moderated by renowned CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer, the HeForShe event aimed to put men at the center of activism and dialogue to end persistent inequalities faced by women and girls around the world. Over the next 12 months, the campaign intends to mobilize one billion men and boys as advocates and agents of change for gender equality.
