Operationalizing deliveries of interventions for MDG4,5,6 combined

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

You have heard it all before. You know the facts, you have seen the stats, the graphs, the reports. Still, we need to hear it again. We need this constant reminder of the action needed.

Every minute, a mother somewhere in the world dies. Of complications during pregnancy or childbirth. Because she has had no proper antenatal care, or because she is giving birth at home with no skilled help. Women die alone, giving birth on the floor of a mud hut.

They simply bleed to death because they have no help.

What we, in this part of the world, see as a magical, wonderful day – the day we welcome a new life into the world – is the most dangerous day in the lives of many women in other parts of the world.

For them, giving birth is one of the most dangerous things they do.

Women die because in far too many countries women’s health is not considered important.

 

As a mother, I find it heartbreaking.

As a politician, I find it unacceptable.

 

In 2000, the world’s leaders drew up eight development goals, with a view to fighting poverty, and eradicating illiteracy and promoting sustainable development.

As you all know, Prime Minister Stoltenberg has engaged specifically in this area since he signed the Millennium Declaration in 2000 and especially since he became PM again 2005.

Thanks to his effort, and that of many others represented her today, maternal and child health is now at the top of the international health agenda.
      

 

Progress is being made on all the Millennium Development Goals apart from the goal on maternal health. Here there is no change, no improvement. 

I believe there is no stronger example of injustice or symbol of inequality than this.

We know what is needed. Often the difference between life and death depends on simple things. You don’t always need advanced medical equipment or expensive drugs. For a normal delivery, all you need is a well-trained health worker, clean instruments and access to antibiotics. In the overall picture, the problem is not a lack of knowledge or financial resources; it is a lack of will.

Together with other countries and various organisations, Norway has been taking part in a working group to promote “more money for health and more health for the money”. We need more money to fund clinics, provide free health services and train health workers, and we must be sure that this money is used in the best possible way.

Norway is providing a total of NOK 3.1 billion to combat maternal and child mortality.

When the working group’s report was presented in New York a few weeks ago, new binding commitments were made to support these efforts in the time ahead, and there was great willingness to find new ways of securing funding.

I am sure many of you were also present at the meeting in New York in September.

At the concluding session of the High Level Task Force of Innovative Health Financing which the PM was part of lead by PM Brown and President Zoellick of the World Bank, financing commitments where made and a new platform for financing were adopted.   

This is promising and important because the needs to be met are great.

 

I hope we soon will reach a turning point, and that women’s health will be considered to be as important as men’s. The statistics are brutal: every year 500 000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth.

But it becomes even more brutal when the statistics are broken down to the level of individual human beings: a mother, a sister, a daughter.

This is not only a health issue, but also a question of dignity and human rights.

We need the health programs for women and children. We need more health care workers, vaccine programs and mosquito nets.

But we will not reach our goals without broader change by changing womens status and position.

Giving women knowledge and economic independence changes the balance of power. It increases women’s status and enables them to participate in making decisions that affect their lives and health.

All women should have access to basic reproductive health care, to birth control, safe abortions and health assistance during pregnancy and birth.

More attention needs to be focused on this terrible injustice in order to make change happen.

In this part of the world, childbirth is a day of celebration. It is the beginning of a new life. It should be like that in all parts of the world.

For women, giving birth should not mean risking their lives, and for children, their chances of surviving their first few hours should not be determined by the latitude at which they are born.

The day a human being is born is the most important day in life. Let us make it a good day.

 

Let us help both mother and child to survive and have the opportunity to live their lives together.

The MDG time line gives us five years to succeed.

The time has therefore come to achieve changes on the ground. After the re-election our government is continuing its commitment and have decided to take a special responsibility with regard to MDG 4&5.

Work has started to develop a Road map as a guide to concrete action.   

This meeting is an important step in the development of such a Road Map.

We very much look forward to the outcome of this meeting and learn how we can help in taking it forward with other stakeholders to broader backing behind it.

We know the problems. We know the solutions.

Now it is a question of will.

Now we need to act.

Good luck with this meeting.

Thank you.