Opening Plenary - Invest in Women— It Pays!

• Why is investing in the health and wellbeing of women and newborns critical to development? What do we know about the economic and social benefits of this investment for families, communities and nations?
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Opening Remarks

Jill W. Sheffield, United States of America, Family Care International, Organizing Partner for Women Deliver

Welcome to Women Deliver

Douglas Alexander, United Kingdom, Secretary of State for International Development

Welcome by Conference Co-Chairs

Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, Tanzania, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations

Mary Robinson, Ireland, Women Deliver Honorary Chair, President of Realizing Rights, former President of Ireland, and former United Nations Commissioner for human rights

Moderator:

Dr. Fred Sai, Ghana, Advisor to the President of Ghana on Population, Reproductive Health, and HIV/AIDS

“Women Deliver for Development” background paper presentation by:

Geeta Rao Gupta, President of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), based in Washington, DC

Commentators:

Dr. Julio Frenk, Mexico, Senior Fellow in Global Health, Gates Foundation, former Secretary of Health, Mexico

• P. Kamalan of Malaysia, International Trade Union Confederation

Thoraya Obaid, Saudi Arabia, Executive Director, UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations

Dr. Peter Piot, Belgium, Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations

• Mary Robinson of Ireland (see above)

Session Closing

Dr. Francisco Songane, Mozambique, Director, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, former Minister of Health, Mozambique

Afternoon Plenary - Working on Common Ground

Ensuring that women and newborns are healthy and are able to contribute their full potential is both a social and an economic investment. How can various disciplines and movements work together and advocate more effectively to realize this potential?

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Commentators:

Dr. Margaret Chan, China, Director-General of the World Health Organization

Dr. Mushtaque Chowdhury, Bangladesh, Deputy Executive Director of BRAC, Bangladesh Rural Action Committee and Co-Coordinator of the Millennium Task Force on Child Health and Maternal Health

Assane Diop, Senegal, Executive Director, Social Protection Sector, the International Labour Organizatio

Kate Gilmore, Australia, Executive Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International

Nafis Sadik, Pakistan, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General for HIV/AIDS

Morning Plenary- Addressing the Controversies
in Reproductive Health and Rights

1994 ICPD marked a paradigm shift in population policy to a woman-centered, reproductive health and rights approach.  It also led to controversy.  This plenary will examine four areas where action has not matched international commitments:

• Are religion and culture positive or negative forces in influencing reproductive health policy?
• Do young people have a right to access a full range of reproductive health services as well as information?
• How best can the public health goal of eliminating unsafe abortion be achieved?
• Are women’s rights human rights?
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Testimonial:

• Dr. Nozer Sheriar, MD, India, practicing physician

Moderator:

Sarah Boseley, United Kingdom, Health Editor, The Guardian

Commentators:

Michelle Goldberg, United States of America, journalist and author of Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, on the intersection of ideology and politics.

Dr. Ana Cristina González Vélez, Colombia, former National Director of Public Health in Colombia

Gill Greer, New Zealand, Director General, International Planned Parenthood Federation

Dr. Bene Madunagu, Nigeria, co-founder of the Girls’ Power Initiative, General Coordinator, Development Alternatives with Women in the New Era (DAWN)

Arvind Sharma, India, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University

Afternoon Plenary - Shaping the Future- No More Business as Usual

What are the trends that will influence the future of maternal health and that will affect our ability to achieve MDG 5?

In this plenary, Dr. Hans Rosling, a noted global trend analyst, will present a dynamic map of trends in health, the economy, politics, and culture that will address this question. Commentators will respond and provide a vision for future vision.

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Moderator:

Dr. Richard Horton, England, Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet

Opening presentation by:

Dr. Hans Rosling, Sweden, Professor of Global Health, Karolinska Institute, co-founder of Medecins sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders)

Commentators:

Laurie Garrett, United States of America, Council on Foreign Relations, winner of the Peabody, the Polk, and the Pulitzer Prizes

Kavita Ramdas, India, President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women

Dr. Dorothy Shaw, Canada, President of FIGO – the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Andrew Francis, Jamaica, Co-ordinator, Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network on Sexual and Reproductive Health (JYAN-SRH)

Morning Plenary - The Future is Now

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Moderator:

Maria Hinojosa, United States of America, Host, Latino USA, NPR

Commentators:

Congresswoman Lois Capps California, United States, co chair US Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues

Kul C. Gautam, Nepal, Deputy Executive Director, Unicef; Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

Dr. Patrica Uribe, Mexico, General Director of the National Center for Gender Equity and Reproductive Health, Ministry of Health

Li Dan, China, AIDS activist, Orchid AIDS Project, Reebok Human Rights prize winner

Dr. Helene D. Gayle, United States of America, President, CARE

Session Closing:

Thokozile Budaza, South Africa, Youth and Gender Activist, Open Society Institute of Southern Africa, Youth Coalition, and board member of Sonke Gender Justice