International Roundtable on Maternal mortality, human rights and accountability, 2nd September 2010, Geneva
Mary Robinson(former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), US Ambassador Donahoe and Dr. Francisco Songane (former Minister of Health, Mozambique) will make keynote addresses.
Other maternal health and human rights experts, from all regions of the world, will also deliver presentations.
Increasingly, maternal mortality is being recognised as a global human rights issue of enormous importance. Each year, there are about 500,000 preventable maternal deaths. The great majority occur in Asia and Africa. However,
disaggregated data from high-income countries show that women from ethnic and other minorities suffer disproportionately from preventable maternal mortality. In short, maternal mortality is a human rights issue in all regions of the world.
The background to the International Roundtable includes last year’s UN Human Rights Council landmark resolution on maternal mortality and morbidity, this year’s OHCHR report on the issue, Millennium Development Goal 5, and the growing international commitment to address maternal mortality and morbidity.
A few days after the Roundtable, the UN Human Rights Council is likely to decide its next steps on this issue.
Crucially, the Roundtable will focus on one critically important – and often neglected – component of a human rights-based approach to maternal mortality: monitoring and accountability. The roundtable will provide human rights experts, health professionals, diplomats and others with an opportunity to learn about and explore monitoring, accountability and redress in relation to maternal mortality. Expert panellists will consider good practices regarding maternal death audits, the role of national human rights institutions, and the contribution of judicial procedures. The Roundtable will look at both the international and national levels.
The Roundtable will take place from 9.00am-5.15pm at the Geneva Business Center (12, Avenue des Morgines, CH-1213 Petit-Lancy), a short bus ride from the centre of Geneva.
Lunch and refreshments will be provided. There is no registration fee. Unfortunately, we do not have funds to subsidise travel and hotel costs.
If you wish to attend on 2nd September, please let us know, as soon as possible, by contacting Pia Janning at mm2september@gmail.com Thereafter, you will be provided with additional information and documentation about the Roundtable.
Spaces are limited so please do not delay.
Organisers:
Essex University Human Rights Centre
International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights
Clemens Nathan Research Centre
SAHAYOG (Indian non-profit promoting gender equality and women’s health)
CARE Peru
Health Equity Group (East Africa)