Johannesburg, 3 September 2003 -- The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa has developed a strategy aimed at contributing to the attainment, by women in the Region, of the highest possible level of health throughout their lifespan. 
The specific objectives of the strategy are to support Member States to:

• advocate for women- sensitive health policies and programmes that respond to their needs, and are in line with agreed international instruments and conventions; 
• accelerate the implementation of interventions aimed at improving the health of women, focusing on major causes of morbidity and mortality, in particular, maternal mortality; 
• improve access for all women to quality health services that are responsive to their specific needs, and ensured safe motherhood; 
• accelerate the elimination of all forms of violence and harmful traditional practices.

The strategy document, to be discussed at the 53rd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa scheduled for 1 to 5 September in Johannesburg, outlines five guiding principles to be followed in order to ensure the success and sustainability of the implementation of the strategy.

These are:

• adopting a holistic approach to women's health, including their physical, mental, social and economic well-being throughout their lives; 
• promoting equity in health through women's access to quality health services, in particular, emergency obstetric care; 
• empowering women to participate in, benefit from, and play a leadership role in health, and in particular, through the education of the girl-child; 
• advocating for the implementation of internationally agreed conventions and declarations in countries, and 
• incorporating a gender perspective into health policies and programmes.

Priority interventions outlined in the strategy document address the promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative aspects of women's health.

These include mainly support to Member States to:

• formulate national women's health policies and programmes derived from the national women's health profile (the profile will enable countries to identify interventions needed to improve the health and survival of women, and reduce the disease burden in the context of existing health care delivery systems); . 
• re-orient health services to provide accessible quality care which is convenient, timely, affordable and responsive to women's specific health needs; 
• strengthen the capacity of health personnel to provide basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care, psychosocial support and counseling, and to adopt positive attitudes to women clients; 
• strengthen mechanisms for the elimination of harmful traditional practices and all forms of violence by applying proven interventions (such as community involvement, alternative rites of passage, government commitment for prevention and timely case management; 
• develop and implement advocacy and communication strategies to promote the human rights approach to women's health at individual, family and community levels, in the broader context of social and economic development, and identify and conduct priority research on issues related to women's health and apply the results to improve policy, programme planning and implementation

For further information, please contact

Samuel T. Ajibola
Public Information and Communication Unit 
World Health Organization - Regional Office for Africa 
P.O. Box 6, Brazzaville, Congo. 
E-mail: ajibolas [at] afro.who.int (ajibolas[at]afro[dot]who[dot]int)
 Tel:+ 47 241 39378; Fax: + 47 241 39513
In Johannesburg: 072 722 5680