Women are central to the economic, social, and political health of nations.  Since the early 1990s, studies by the United Nations, the World Bank, and others have demonstrated the value of investing in interventions that improve the health of women, including maternal health. While we have the knowledge of how to improve women’s health and maternal health, and effective strategies exist, progress has been intolerably slow.

The WOMEN DELIVER theme also issues an urgent call: Invest in Women—Now. If nations and funders are serious about social development and economic growth, they must invest in women’s health. The Millennium Development Goals set ambitious targets for improving maternal and child health, promoting gender equality, ensuring universal primary education, and combating HIV and AIDS. Meeting the goals—or even coming close—will require bold solutions from all sectors of society. But most of all, it will require investment.

“Invest in women—it pays” was demonstrated through the WOMEN DELIVER conference agenda in a number of ways, including:

• Presentation of studies and research that illustrate how improvements in the lives of women and girls translate into improvements in their health, in the health of their children, reductions in fertility, and high returns to overall economic progress.
• Personal stories and testimonials shared by women and girls highlighting how small investments helped them to become agents of change and architects of their own destiny.
• Sessions that brought together leaders from diverse sectors to devise innovative strategies and partnerships for increasing investment in women’s health.

WOMEN DELIVER made the case that investing in interventions that improve the health of women is an investment in our future.