Startling facts - not a health problem - a social and political problem. 3 UN documents - Beijing, Population and Health, and MDGs are UN work. 1/3 of maternal deaths can be avoided by birth control and access to abortion. More than half a million women die needlessly each year from complications related to pregnancy and child birth - one every minute. Most of these deaths could have been prevented by high quality accessible, affordable and timely medical care. See Amnesty International Report - Dying Too Young.
MDG 5 stands as the slowest of all the MDGs. Accelerate funding by SG. not translated into effective actions. Absolute number of deaths in sub Sahara actually increased.
Critical in September, review of MDGs, and ensure meaningful progress proceeds. Alicia Yamin - more than technical - Human Rights approach means preventable maternal morbidity - UN treaty monitoring bodies increase accountability. June meeting of HR council - addressing challenges -
Over 500,000 women die every year. Funding dropped for family planning. Stagnation - comprehensive and affordable health services needed. Amnesty International, ACPD, Human Rights Watch, Center for Reproductive Rights, International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Ipas, and the Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights.
Aboiola Akiyode Afolabi - Nigeria - Very little progress - Nigeria 10% of maternal deaths in Nigeria, spoke about Malawi, and Rawanda. Policies being developed. Laws not implemented. Set goals, but not realized. Lack of resource allocation. Dont have a gender mainstreaming policy. Lack of information and transparency regarding budget allocation. Issues - patient can't pay for hospital care. Broken Promises Need for Nigeria to establish a blood bank. Hold government to account. Call for action -
Ana Cristina Gonzalez Velez - experience in Haiti - one word - empathy. Feel connected, and to help, to make a change. Seen lots of documents - setting goals, but never achieved. Empathy - created a common language for the elite, not building the empathy needed to prevent the deaths.
4 challenges - result of an understanding of applying human rights perspective to public health.
Avoid affect of religion to public health. 4 aspects to make a difference - power issue, not part of public issue. No journalist or politician have takeen it on. Maternal death - not visible. More campaigns against death sentence than maternal mortality. Accountability - Social mobilization - visible from human rights perspective. 2. political will - lack of women's empowerment, lack of politcal will, lack of resources. Political will emerges from empathy. 3. Human rights perspective - definition of framework - establish coherent legal framework - health education and finance. Services available, and hight quality. Physical and economic accessibility. Go beyond entitlement. 4. Responsiveness to Human Rights framework - need information. From the national and local levels. Stimulate good practices. Avoid unnecessary death. Make maternal deaths visible, and responsibilty and accountability. Empathy and Action -
Carmen Barroso - Speaking about Equador - woman can't take treatment for cancer, because it will put fetus at risk. Linkage between human rights and maternal health.
At top of agenda - die every minute of every day - totally unacceptable. MDGs likely to fail. Universal access - very far from being obtained. How cheap and easy to prevent maternal death. Causes well understood - 4 pillars family planning etc well understood. Violation of women's human rights - 1/3 couldbe prevented by access to safe abortions. Women don't have control over sex - education still a dream.
UN can do a lot - critically important to use these mechanisms. Most women who die - are young women. What can we do now? As civil society organizations to advance the political will. Now is the time for the development arm to systematically apply human rights. CSW and human rightgs opportunity to integrate human rights into development practise.
Three steps - adopt a resolution - a bold resolutions, that incorporates universal access to birth control, empowered to make decisions. 2. Use MDGs summit in sept. to strengthen strategies and policies. and be accountable. 3. Further integration in the HR work. HR Council reviews progress - should require states to report on this at the review. Universal periodic review - information measures that couple can access emergency contraception - Access to safe abortion.
Integrate Human Rights into development. Role of Civil Society - provide information, and participation is essential for sexual and reproductive rights. No woman has to die by giving life.
Donors have to be accountable - how the money is spent - family planning.
Rights of child - ethical implications - potential life, and life. Life should be protected always, but life of women have to be considered as a priority - decision of Supreme Court. Women's life considered essential. On going debate.
Class action for women and maternal health.
Woman from Mozambique - legalizing abortion - Spoke about resolution - amnesty following resolution - been developed by diverse number of countries. Including Human Rights into Maternal Mortality and Health language. State accountability, human rights, and women's empowerment. Reinforces in the human rights initiative from Geneva.
Experience in Columbia - accountability - need social mobilization - basis of the participation. Create spaces - but need accountability measures. Mechanisms to monitor were the corner stone. Right to health under international law, not to be implemented over night, but immediate - plan of action required, evidence based and participatory - plan of action in reducing maternal mortality needs to have steps, efffective monitoring that state is making progress. Indicators - look at financial transparency. disaggregated to see that women most marginalized are getting help. mechanisms for redress - human rights - Circle need to continually build.
Have financial incentives to go to facilities - doesn't make sure facility has resources. Cynical response - not a human rights response.
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