Abu Dhabi to host expert consultation group on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health

The UAE will host a meeting of experts this April to develop a 5-year plan for implementation of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health (2016-2030).

The key stakeholders group of Every Woman, Every Child (EWEC) will convene in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, on 5-6 April for "Experts' Consultation on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health: life-saving priorities in all settings."

The meeting is part of efforts to implement the updated Global Strategy 2016-2030 for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health, which was launched by the UN in September 2015, building on new evidence since the original Global Strategy of 2010, and aligning with the targets and indicators developed for the Sustainable Development Goals framework.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated his strong commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents through the Every Woman Every Child movement.

The two-day experts' meeting will be held by the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and chairmanship of HRH Princess Sarah Zeid, Director, Every Woman Every Child Everywhere Movement.

Over the two-day meeting, multi-disciplinary experts will explore options available for supporting implementing strategies and approaches in an effective way and conduct researches needed to bridge the existing gaps in issues concerning health of women, children and adolescents.

The meeting also seeks to increase public sector engagement to contribute more funds and investment to developmental and humanitarian initiatives and projects.

A key outcome of the Abu Dhabi consultation is to reach an agreement on priorities for five-year implementation plan which will be adopted and then presented to the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation, in May 2016, for endorsement.

The meeting features panel discussions and workshops on a wide range of issues including mechanism, programme time-frame and identifying stakeholders for implementing the strategy, including goals of this meeting. A strategic workforce will be set up to plan national healthcare mechanisms for sensitive aspects that involve risks.

The expert consultation meeting follows a similar event Abu Dhabi hosted in February 2015 during which a group of experts representing UN agencies, governments, civil society, academia and specialised foundations met to update the UN Secretary General's Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health for the Post-2015 Era and draft policy recommendations that will be integrated into the Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy.

Development and humanitarian experts in reproductive, maternal, new born, child and adolescent health (RMNC & A health) issued the Abu Dhabi Declaration in which they urged the global community to join them in upholding this declaration for the dignity, health and wellbeing of every woman and every child– in humanitarian and fragile settings.

Therefore, the Declaration stresses the United Nations Secretary General’s next global strategy for Every Women Every Child (EWEC) must underpin and focus on a global movement that protects, promotes and helps to fulfill human rights within RMNC & A health and wellbeing, throughout the life course and across the development-humanitarian contiguum.

It also calls for providing RMNC & A health and wellbeing interventions for the life course across the development and humanitarian contiguum, upholding to the greatest extent possible, the principles of accessibility (including affordability), acceptability and quality of service and care.

The Abu Dhabi Declaration generated momentum for the renewed Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy and broadened and strengthened this global movement so as that no one will be left behind.

Reem Al Falasy, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, said Abu Dhabi's hosting of this international gathering underpins the UAE leadership's commitment and Sheikha Fatima's directives to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030) which considers the survival, health and well-being of women, children and adolescents are essential to achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals.

''The world multi-sectoral experts will present, share and discuss the best methods, plans and initiatives to build capacities, resilience, response and recovery of women, children and adolescents during and after critical emergencies,'' she added.

The Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, she affirmed, is seeking to strike a better balance between the methodology of response to urgent needs and long-term investment which contributes to achieving sustainable development.

The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030, an updated version of the Global Strategy on Women’s and Children’s Health, 2010–2015, includes new areas of focus and encompasses 17 health and health-related targets, among the 169 targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, that align with global action plans that have been previously endorsed by WHO’s Member States.

The Global Strategy envisages a world in which every woman, child and adolescent in every setting realizes their rights to physical and mental health and well-being, has social and economic opportunities and is fully able to participate in shaping prosperous and sustainable societies.

The three overarching objectives of the updated Global Strategy are Survive, Thrive and Transform. With its full implementation supporting country priorities and plans and building the momentum of Every Woman Every Child no woman, child or adolescent should face a greater risk of preventable death because of where they live or who they are. But ending preventable death is just the beginning. By helping to create an enabling environment for health, the Global Strategy aims to transform societies so that women, children and adolescents everywhere can realize their rights to the highest attainable standards of health and well-being. This, in turn, will deliver enormous social, demographic and economic benefits.

The Global Strategy provides a road map for attaining these ambitious objectives and supporting countries in starting to implement the post-2015 agenda without delay – based on the evidence of what is needed and what works. It is relevant to all countries, including those that have already reached some of the proposed absolute national targets. Reducing subnational inequities, ensuring universal health coverage, and progressively realizing the right to health and health care of every woman, every child and every adolescent everywhere all remain challenges in most settings.

Source:WAM