UNITED NATIONS, New York, 2 September 2011—First Ladies, ministers and development experts will gather next week to share their countries’ successes and challenges in the field of maternal and reproductive health commodity security. The high-level meeting, to take place in New York on 7-8 September, will also look into ways to bridge the gap in essential supplies to save the lives of more women in developing countries.

In 2001, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, launched a global programme to help countries adopt predictable and planned methods of securing reproductive health supplies and ensuring their use. With more than $300 million mobilized so far, the initiative has helped many of the neediest countries improve their supplies. It also encouraged governments to view commodity security as an essential prerequisite in their efforts to improve the sexual and reproductive health of their populations.

During the high-level meeting, representatives of these countries will discuss strategies to ensure even greater success and declare their commitment to support family planning and reproductive health supplies. Worldwide, at least 200 million women want to use safe and effective family planning methods but are unable to do so.

WHO:

Participants will include First Ladies and representatives from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Laos, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The meeting will also be attended by representative of the Netherland, the European Community, DFID and USAID. 

WHEN & WHERE:

Tuesday, 7 September, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; UN Millennium Plaza Hotel. 
Wednesday, 8 September, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.; ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations.

Journalists are welcome to attend the high-level meeting.

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For more information, please contact:
Abubakar Dungus: Tel: +1 212 297 5031; dungus@unfpa.org
Omar Gharzeddine: Tel: +1 212 297 5028; gharzeddine@unfpa.org