THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE HEALTH MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

 

This document answers the most frequently asked questions about the 2010 report for the Global Campaign for the Health Millennium Development Goals. The report was officially launched at the Partners’ Forum of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health on 13 November 2010 in New Delhi, India.

What is the Global Campaign and how will it make a difference to women’s and children’s health?

The Global Campaign for the Health MDGs was launched in New York in September 2007 by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway and other global leaders. It aims to increase and sustain political and financial commitment to the health MDGs, particularly those protecting the most vulnerable women and children. MDG 4 sets out to reduce child mortality by two-thirds and MDG 5 aims to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters and to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015.

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The Global Campaign is closely linked to several other important initiatives, such as:

• The Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. This describes progress towards MDGs 4, 5 and 6 and identifies tangible actions to close current gaps.

• The Global Consensus on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. This aligns momentum in politics, advocacy and finance behind a commonly agreed set of policies and priority interventions aimed at accelerating progress on the ground.

• The High-Level Taskforce on Innovative Financing for Health Systems, chaired by the former UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and the President of the World Bank, Robert B Zoellick. It aimed to identify “innovative financing mechanisms to complement traditional aid and bridge the financing gaps which compromise attainment of the health-related MDGs.”

• The International Health Partnership (IHP). This aims to improve co-ordination of support for national health plans, and brings together international health organizations and major donor countries, as well as developing countries.

Who are the Network of Global Leaders and what do they do?

The Network of Global Leaders was formed at the invitation of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway to provide political backing and advocacy at the highest possible level for the Global Campaign for the Health MDGs. Support of this kind will be crucial to the success of the Global Campaign, leading to better health and fewer deaths. The network consists of a small number of international leaders, working alongside Prime Minister Stoltenberg:

• President Armando Guebuza of Mozambique

• President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania

• President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil

• President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia

• President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal

• President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia

• Graça Machel, President and founder of the Foundation for Community Development of Mozambique.

The network does not convene regular meetings or conferences. Instead, the members ensure that their countries’ commitments to the health MDGs (MDGs 4 and 5) is sustained and followed up every day. When participating in summits and other high-level global events, members will push for action to achieve the health MDGs by 2015, maintaining political pressure on behalf of the Global Campaign.

What is the Global Campaign Report?

The Global Campaign published a First Year report in September 2008, which was launched in the UN by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway. Over 50 presidents, prime ministers, global leaders, heads of international organizations and others contributed to the report. The purpose of the Global Campaign Reports is to identify challenges that stand in the way of achieving the health-related MDGs and to galvanize world leaders to take action.

The Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health was launched by the UN Secretary-General in September 2010 and also focuses on women’s and children’s health. How are the two documents related?

The Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health describes current progress towards MDGs 4 and 5 and identifies tangible actions to close current gaps. It also estimates the costs of these actions, and calls for the support of all stakeholders to enhance financing, strengthen policy and improve service delivery for the most vulnerable women and children.

The Global Campaign Report is intended to deepen the commitment to the Global Strategy by asking world leaders to discuss how they will implement their commitments and how they will hold themselves accountable. Please see Frequently Asked Questions for the Global Strategy at: http://www.who.int/pmnch/activities/jointactionplan/20100922_gswch_faq/en/index.html.

What’s new in the 2010 Global Campaign Report?

One of the major differences between the 2010 report and those from previous years is the context in which it is launched. In future, 2010 may be seen as the turning point in efforts to advance the agenda for women’s and children’s health. There is incredible political momentum, and the US$40 billion of funding recently committed is unprecedented. At no other time in recent history has there been so much excitement about, and attention paid to, women’s and children’s health issues. World leaders are emphasizing them at high-level international events such as the World Health Assembly, the African Union, the Pacific Health Summit and the UN General Assembly. They are also being discussed in national parliaments and local councils and across regions, and every stakeholder group is coming forward to offer their skills.

In addition, the 2010 Global Campaign Report contains several new elements intended to maintain the momentum for women’s and children’s health.

1) Plan for developing a robust accountability framework. The Global Strategy identified the need for a clear accountability framework that builds on existing mechanisms. But it did not articulate how this would happen. In the Global Campaign, WHO outlines high-level terms of reference for a Commission on Accountability and Information, and associated working groups that will develop the recommendations.

2) Roadmap for advocacy and political action for 2011. To maintain momentum in 2011, the roadmap outlines a number of key opportunities to deepen partnerships, mobilize further commitments across sectors and renew attention to pledges made.

3) Statements from non-traditional stakeholders. This version of the Global Campaign Report contains statements from a wide variety of stakeholders who will play an important role in implementing the Global Strategy. They include the business community, health-care professionals, faith-based organizations, NGOs and academics and researchers. In the report, these stakeholders outline their commitments and explain the activities they will undertake on behalf of the Global Strategy.

4) Methodology behind the recent US$40 billion commitments. At the MDGs Summit in New York in September 2010, commitments worth approximately US$40 billion were announced. The Global Campaign Report outlines the methodology used to calculate these commitments and lays out next steps for refining the estimates.

Why does the report focus on commitments and accountability?

Following the US$40 billion of commitments pledged at the MDGs Summit in September, the two most important next steps were: 1) to solidify the major commitments made, and 2) to move forward the accountability process to track these commitments and their impact. To achieve this, we asked leaders to comment on how their country or organization will take forward actions to achieve the commitments they made and how they would hold themselves and others accountable.

What are the follow-up steps after the launch of the report?

2011 presents many opportunities to maintain the momentum built by the Global Strategy and the Global Campaign. The last chapter of the Global Campaign is a roadmap that outlines key events at all levels, from national and industry meetings to the UN General Assembly. It clearly states how each event can be used to progress the cause of women’s and children’s health with different constituency groups to ensure that it remains high on international, regional and national agendas

How can this report be used?

The Global Campaign Report is useful on many levels. Firstly, it provides advocates with a tool to hold governments and institutions accountable for their pledges, and the signed statements by leaders can be used to remind those working in government of the strong backing for women’s and children’s health at the highest levels. Secondly, it is a way to share best practice between countries and institutions, helping initiate the dialog between heads of state and between organizations about their initiatives. Thirdly, the report can be used as a call to action for stakeholders who are not currently involved. By seeing the important work of their colleagues, other organizations and governments will be inspired to join the effort.

The Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health

How does the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health suggest we make improvements?

It says that partners need to unite and take real action – through enhanced financing, strengthened policy and improved service delivery. The agreed set of action points include:

• Ensuring that political commitment and adequate priority is given to women’s and children’s health in national health plans. We must focus on the needs of poor women and children – who are at the greatest risk of death or injury during childbirth and the first few hours afterwards – and on equity of access and outcomes, making sure we reach those who are especially disadvantaged and marginalized.

• Scaling up packages of essential services, especially in countries experiencing the majority of deaths among under-fives – notably in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

• Strengthening health systems to deliver a package of quality interventions:

1) High-quality skilled care during and after pregnancy and childbirth (routine as well as emergency care);

2) Comprehensive family planning;

3) Safe abortion services (where not prohibited by law);

4) Improved child nutrition, and prevention and treatment of major childhood diseases, including diarrhea and pneumonia;

5) Integrated care for HIV/AIDS (i.e. prevent mother-to-child transmission), malaria and other conditions.

• Developing and scaling up innovative approaches to financing, product development and delivering high-quality services more efficiently. Priority needs to be given to removing financial, social and cultural barriers to access, including providing free essential services to women and children.

• Ensuring better information, which will help leaders decide on the best course of action, and accountability at all levels for credible results.

What outcomes will the Global Strategy help us to achieve?

In the world’s 49 poorest countries, where the need for help is greatest, we can make great progress between 2011 and 2015. We can:

• Prevent the deaths of more than 15 million children under the age of five, including 3 million newborns

• Prevent 33 million unwanted pregnancies

• Prevent 570 000 women dying from complications relating to pregnancy or childbirth, including unsafe abortion

• Protect 88 million children under five from stunting

• Treat 120 million children for pneumonia.

In 2015:

• 43 million more users will have access to comprehensive family planning

• 19 million more women will give birth supported by a skilled health worker, with the necessary infrastructure, drugs, equipment and regulations

• 2 million more neonatal infections will be treated

• 22 million more infants will be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life

• 15 million more children will be fully immunized in their first year of life

• 117 million more under-fives will receive vitamin A supplements

• 85 000 more quality health facilities will exist and up to 3.5 additional health care workers.

If I want more information about topics discussed in the Global Campaign, whom should I contact?

All queries can be sent to the following email address of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH): pmnch@who.int. The PMNCH will then direct enquiries to the appropriate contributor.

These online resources are also available on related topics:

• Global Campaign website: www.norad.no/globalcampaign

• UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy website: www.un.org/sg/globalstrategy.shtml

• The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Global Strategy website: www.who.int/pmnch/activities/jointactionplan/en/index.html

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