Dakar, Nov 19 (APS) – United Nations agencies launched Tuesday in Dakar a regional consultation program called “Every woman, every newborn everywhere”, through which the actors concerned aim to provide appropriate responses. to the challenge of the growing maternal and infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa.
UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA and UN Women intend to work together through this program to “accelerate progress in reducing maternal, neonatal and child mortality”, explained the chief of staff of the Ministry of Health and Social Action, Doctor Samba Cor Sarr at the opening of the launch forum.
He noted that “the health of mothers and children constitutes one of the main public health concerns in the world”.
In 2020, “nearly 800 women died per day from preventable causes linked to pregnancy and childbirth”, underlined Doctor Sarr in front of participants from 25 countries on the continent. He added that during the same period, “nearly 95% of maternal deaths occurred in low-income countries.”
“Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 57% of all deaths among children under 5 years old, its neonatal mortality rate was also the highest in the world in 2022,” recalled the chief of staff of the Minister of Health. Health and Social Action.
In concert with the ministries in charge of Health of the countries concerned, the UN agencies in question intend to place the “Every woman, every newborn” program at the center of their objectives, throughout West and Central Africa.
The objective pursued through this regional consultation is to “design coordinated and measurable actions to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) before disseminating best practices and technical approaches in maternal and child health”, according to Samba Cor Sarr.
The regional director of UNICEF in West and Central Africa, Gilles Fagninoua, justified the relevance of this consultation by the need to move “faster in reducing maternal and infant mortality”.
He recalled that a woman dies every four minutes while giving birth, whereas every 17 seconds a newborn loses his life.
“It would be enough to bring together the human forces of the 25 countries of West and Central Africa to achieve the objective by 2030,” he said.
This is why he noted that “the mobilization and commitment of state authorities will be at the heart of the solutions”.
This regional consultation ends on Friday.
ID/ADL/BK/MTN
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