Women Deliver Breakfast

The World Bank Meeting of Finance Ministers brought together policy makers from donor and developing countries to highlight the critical role women’s health, especially maternal health, plays in the well-being of families, communities and nations.

Participants included more than fifty participants, including the Finance Secretary of Pakistan; the Minister of Finance, Namibia; the Deputy Minister for International Development of Norway; and representatives from the Department of International Development (DFID), UK, and the UN Foundation.

The presentations highlighted the following key themes:

• A woman’s health, particularly maternal health, is critical to the well-being of her family, and to the economy of her community and country.
• Practical solutions to improving maternal health exist, and must come in the context of broad efforts to improve women’s legal rights and economic status.
• With greater political will and financial investment, most women and newborns can survive so that their families, communities, and nations thrive.

During the discussion, Ministers and other representatives emphasized that investment in maternal health should be part of a broader effort to invest in women for development.  They noted that the facts of poor maternal health have been known for some time, and what has been lacking is the political commitment and will to invest in women; consistent and a redoubling of political support is key to reaching MDG Goal Five; and education that creates life options for women and girls yields large dividends for communities and nations.

Agenda