WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC BUREAU REGIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL
REGIONAL COMMITTEE Sixty-fifth session Manila, Philippines 13–17 October 2014 Agenda item 15
WPR/RC65/NGO/9 15 October 2014 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
STATEMENT BY THE INDEPENDENT EXPERT REVIEW GROUP By Ms Kathleen Ferrier
Dear Mr RD, excellencies, heads of delegations, ladies and gentlemen, On behalf of the independent Expert Review Group, I am grateful for the opportunity to share with you the findings of our 2014 report, which we presented to the UNSG last month. Where are we now? For women and children on the ground in the 75 countries of our concern, we are losing 54 children's lives per 1000 live births, against the 2015 target of 36. We are losing 251 mothers per 100.000 live births, mothers who are most of them children themselves, against the MDG target of 115. It means an unmet need for family planning for 161 million couples. We find that our concerted efforts and additional domestic and international investments have been insufficient and critical gaps still remain in addressing newborn survival and stillbirths, in access to SRHR, nutrition, in availability of high quality health workers, in addressing sexual violence, the situation in conflict zones, unsafe abortion and child marriage. There are gains, but they are fragile. Even in the highly function Western Pacific Region, progress of maternal mortality reduction is NOT on-track. Only Cambodia and Lao PDR are categorized as "on-track"). WPR regional average annual change in MMR between 1990 and 2010 was -5.2%: between 1990 and 2013 it was -3.9%. Both are categorized as "making progress". With only one full year to go before the end of the MDG era, the iERG for the first time sets out its vision for women's and children's health beyond 2015. It focusses on two issues- the health of women and children and accountability. 1. A Post-2015 Vision for Women and Children: A consensus is that high- quality care for women and children should be a right and not a privilege. But to deliver that right requires a different approach to their health needs. The health-sector focused continuum-of-care a model has served women and children well by integrating reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. The iERG calls for a perspective that takes account of two additional, yet neglected, influences that shape health: - a full life-course perspective to the health of women, children and adolescent girls. The second decade of life, adolescence, presents an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty, violence and ill-health. Unfortunately, adolescent health and development represents a major gap that needs urgent attention. - attention to non-health-sector as well as health-sector determinants of health
WPR/RC65/NGO/9 page 2
The iERG also calls for clear time-bound goals, targets and indicators for reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health post-2015. 2. A Post-2015 Vision for Accountability: Progress on establishing a robust global accountability mechanism for the Sustainable Development Goals has lagged behind. The iERG recognises that there is no single perfect accountability model. But it concludes that an officially legitimised independent accountability mechanism reporting directly to the UNSG and the UNGA is an essential component of global accountability in the future. Based on these insights we have six recommendations in our report and I urge you to read it. At the UNGA. I heard many heads of states and world leaders speak. One speech made a lasting echo. It was Gordon Brown who said : " The credibility of the next set of goals, depends on the achievements of the first set of goals, the MDG's" . Even in countries with spectacular progress, like China, we have to stay alert. What needs to be addressed in China are, fi, the socioeconomic inequities, health systems should be strengthened through focusing on health workforce capacities and sustainable financing, there are new challenges also, for instance when family- planning is concerned, or access to health care in rural areas and with regards to migrant communities and ethnic minorities. What we as iERG want to make clear is that now, in this last year of the MDG-era, is the time to stop talking about the what, and start talking about the how and, to start acting. We know what is needed, now is the time for concrete actions. Now is the time to show the political will, that has been falling short, and that is needed to finally deliver to all women and children what we owe them: the right to quality health care and well-being. Thank you.