Brazzaville, 15 October 2003 -- The second meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Regional Reproductive Health Task Force is to take place from 20 to 24 October in Dakar, Senegal. 
Established by WHO in 2002, the 20-member multidisciplinary, broad-based group of experts is charged with strengthening coordination mechanisms among key actors and partners in the area of reproductive health in the African region. It also works to enhance the overall effectiveness of reproductive health activities at the regional and national levels.

"The right to give birth is a basic human right, yet nearly 300,000 pregnancy-related deaths (almost half of the global total) occur every year in our Region," says Dr Ebrahim M. Samba, Director of the WHO Africa Regional Office which is organizing the meeting.

Speaking Wednesday in Brazzaville ahead of the Task Force meeting which begins on Monday in the Senegalese capital, Dr Samba lamented the fact that with 1,000 deaths per 100,000 live births, Africa has the highest maternal mortality ratio in the world.

According to The Road to Safe Motherhood a WHO publication issued in 2001, the estimated maternal mortality ratio for the regional blocs in Africa are: 1,060 for East Africa, 1,020 for West Africa, 950 for Central Africa, 340 for northern Africa and 260 for southern Africa. However, some current estimates show that in some countries in the Region, the maternal mortality ratio is nearly 2,000 per 100,000 live births.

"This is totally unacceptable in the 21st century considering the availability of the expertise, resources and technology to make a real difference", says Dr Samba. "Clearly, the reduction of maternal mortality is not only an issue of effective health care but one of social justice as well."

Projections published by WHO in 2002 highlighted the grave human, social and economic consequences of failure to improve maternal health care in the Region.

For example, one ten-year projection covering 2001-2010 shows that the Region stands to lose $45 billion over the period if appropriate steps are not taken to improve maternal care. The same projections also show that at least 2.5 million maternal deaths, 7.5 million child deaths and 49 million disabilities would be recorded over the ten-year period if the current situation persists unaddresed.

However, the institution of appropriate measures could cut maternal mortality by 50%, save the lives of 500, 000 women and 1.5 million children, and result in a net productivity gain of $10 billion.

"The Dakar meeting will focus on specific issues such as maternal mortality reduction, safe motherhood, adolescent health and adolescent pregnancy, obstetric fistula, female genital mutilation, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and capacity building in the area of reproductive health. It will also explore ways of further strengthening reproductive health programmes through the sharing of evidence-based "best practices", says Dr Doyin Oluwole, Director of the Division of Family and Reproductive Health at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, organizers of the meeting.

"The meeting will seek to promote the utilization of research results, and provide orientation on scaling up best practices in all aspects of reproductive health" Dr Oluwole adds.

The five-day meeting is a follow up to a similar one held in 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya, and is expected to be attended by more than 60 experts and representatives of various development agencies working in the area of reproductive health.

Senior international consultant on reproductive health Prof. O. Akande of Nigeria is chairman of the Task Force, whose members include Prof. J. Kasonde, another senior international consultant, Dr Adelaide de Carvalho (Angola), Prof. Diara Nama Jeanne (Cote d'Ivoire), Dr Adama Ndoye (Senegal), Dr O.S. Chidede (Zimbabwe), Dr Maurice Bacagu (Rwanda), Dr Khaled Bessoud (Benin), Dr Maureen Chisembele (Zambia), Prof A.M. Otubu (Nigeria), Dr Fatma Mrisho of the UNFPA Country Support Team in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr R. Shoo of the UNICEF Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa in Nairobi, and Dr Suzan Prysor Jones.

The remaining members of the expert group are Hope Sukin of USAID, Prof. Helen Rees (South Africa), Dr Justine Tantchou, President of the Reproductive Health network for Francophone countries, Prof. Angela Kamara (Director of Regional the Regional Programme on Maternal Mortality Network) and Dr Khama Rogo, the Lead Reproductive Health Specialist at the World Bank.

For further information,

journalists may contact Mr. Khalifa MBENGUE, HIP
Office of the WHO Representative in Senegal
tél. : (221) 8 23 02 70 
Fax : (221) 823 32 55 ; Email: mbegueh [at] omn.sn (mbegueh[at]omn[dot]sn)

or

Dr Doyin Oluwole, Director, Division of Family and Reproductive Health
 WHO/AFRO

B.P. Box 6, Brazzaville, Congo. 
Tél.: + 47 241 39478, Email : regafro [at] afro.who.int (regafro[at]afro[dot]who[dot]int)