UK hails plan to save 16 million women and children
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today confirmed that the UK would double the number of maternal, newborn and children鈥檚 lives saved by 2015.
The UK government hailed as 鈥榰nprecedented鈥� the international commitment to saving the lives of more than 16 million women and children made today at the UN MDG Summit.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today confirmed that the UK would double the number of maternal, newborn and children鈥檚 lives saved by 2015.
He said that UK aid will save the lives of at least 50,000 women in pregnancy and childbirth, save 250,000 newborn babies and enable 10 million couples to access modern methods of family planning. The UK Government has shifted its development focus to put women and children at the heart of its policies.
Speaking at the close of the Summit at the UN in New York, ministers made clear that UK leadership had put saving women鈥檚 and children鈥檚 lives firmly on the agenda and that the UK鈥檚 contribution had helped secure wider international action.
They said that after months of concerted effort and negotiation between the UK and the UN to mobilise action, the international community had stepped up to the plate, committing to results on an unprecedented scale.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:
鈥淒evelopment starts with healthy mothers and children, without whom we will never build strong societies.
鈥淏ritain has for months been making the argument that the world must make a step change in its efforts on maternal health. Today the world showed that it had finally heard that message.
鈥淭his is an unprecedented commitment.鈥�
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said:
鈥淚t is a source of international shame that every year a third of a million women die in pregnancy and childbirth, and that 25,000 children die of preventable diseases every single day.
鈥淭his extraordinary commitment means we now have the global will to right this injustice - and five years to make today鈥檚 pledge a reality. For the sake of millions around the world, we must not fail.鈥�
Andrew Mitchell added that the last five years of the MDGs were the time to focus on results, with all nations held to account for the pledges they had made.
He said:
鈥淲e welcome the General Assembly鈥檚 agreement to review progress annually made against commitments agreed at this Summit. The UK will stand up to that test but the Millennium Development Goals must be a priority for each and every nation present in this room.鈥�