Remarks by the WHO Regional Director for the African region, Dr. Luis G. Sambo on the occasion of the launch of the Regional Commission on Women’s Health in the African region Monrovia, Liberia, 14 April 2010
- Your Excellency, Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia,
- Hounourable, Vice President,
- The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General,
- Honorable members of the Government and Members of the Parliament of Liberia
- Honorable Minister of Health of the Republic of Rwanda, Chairman of the Regional Committee of WHO in the African Region, Dr Richard Sexibera
- Your Excellencies Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Representatives of International Organizations
- Distinguished Members of the Regional Commission on Women’s Health in the African region
- Dear Colleagues of UN Agencies
- Distinguished Guests
- Members of the press
- Ladies and Gentlemen
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to this historic event.
On behalf of the World Health Organisation and all its Member states in the African Region, I wish to express my profound gratitude to Her Excellency Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the President of the Republic of Liberia, for leading us today and accepting to serve as the Distinguished Honorary President of the Commission on Women’s Health.
Madame PRESIDENT, you represent the aspirations and expectations of so many women in Africa. Your leadership and care for the welfare of people, particularly the health of women, is admirable!
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is certainly a very unique milestone in the implementation of the Resolution AFR/RC58/R1 adopted in 2008 by the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, which called for improved women’s health in Africa.
I would like to convey my appreciation and thanks to the Government and the people of Liberia for the generous hospitality accorded to us. Permit me to thank Dr. Walter Gwenigale the Minister of Health for his remarkable contribution to the governing bodies of WHO and his important role in the preparations of this event. This is a reflection of the importance that Your Excellency the President, the government and the people of Liberia attach to people’s health as human capital for development.
May I also pay tribute to the Honorable Minister of Health of the Republic of Rwanda and current Chairman of the Regional Committee for Africa, Dr Richard Sexibera for his active support to the work of the Secretariat and for honouring us with his presence.
- Your Excellency Madam President,
- Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 1979 and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 highlight the need for priority to be placed on women’s rights, health and development. Particular emphasis is placed on women’s equal access to, and equal opportunities in political and public life.
Following these international bills of rights for women, Governments and development institutions have made numerous efforts, but in sub Saharan Africa, particular benefits in terms of women’s health are yet to be seen.
Issues affecting women’s health such as physical, sexual and psychological violence, their low economic status, illiteracy, early marriage of young girls and female genital mutilation are some problems occurring daily in our societies that call for urgent and more effective attention.
Poor women’s health is further aggravated by the prevailing weak health systems leading to unacceptable high maternal mortality which is estimated at 900 per 100 000 live births in the region, and remains the highest in the world. In the Sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that one out of every 26 women dies from pregnancy related problems or during childbirth, compared to one woman in every 7,300 in developed countries.
In spite of the dramatic circumstances surrounding maternal mortality in our region, we realize that little has been done to address this despite the availability of proven knowledge and technologies. As a result, there is no progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal 5 (MDG5). This state of affairs calls for increased allocations of domestic resources and international funding to scale up maternal health interventions.
It is against this background, that the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, adopted the Resolution AFR/RC58/R1 requesting me to establish a Commission on Women’s Health.
In response to this, I established a multi-disciplinary Commission of 17 members comprising leaders, high level political personalities, including parliamentarians, representative of the African Union, as well as experts consisting of social scientists, economists, epidemiologists, consultants, obstetricians and gynecologists, lawyers, among others.
The Commission that is being launched today will provide more evidence on the key factors influencing the current state of women’s health in Africa and make recommendations on what needs to be done across all sectors to achieve rapid and sustainable improvements. I am expecting that further light will be shed on the prevailing women’s health issues and the evidence base will be sharpened for a more robust advocacy and action. I mean that we should be able to identify the key problems, address their political, economic and social dimensions and tackle the clinical and public health aspects related to health care delivery.
The Experts of the Commission have been working on the Commission’s report since the past few months. During the last three days in Monrovia, they have been consolidating the evidence gathered so far and I would like to thank them sincerely for their enormous effort and dedication. It is my hope that we will succeed in this major undertaking.
- Your Excellency Madam President,
- Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
Women’s role in society goes far beyond childbearing and includes other dimensions. The Liberian society demonstrates the multiple role women can play from the household level to leading the entire nation. Women need to be in good health and be given the opportunity for them to unleash their potential for social and economic prosperity.
The health sector has a specific responsibility in providing quality health care that responds to specific women’s health needs along the life cycle, including safe pregnancy.
These endeavours require strong leadership, multidisciplinary thinking and multi-sectoral actions at all levels including communities, families and individuals.
- Your Excellency Madam President
- Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,
As we launch this historic Commission on Women’s Health in Africa, I would like to underscore the importance of our firm commitment. Political leaders, governments, public health practitioners, the academia, research communities and the international community should all commit to accelerate efforts for more sustainable gains in women’s health. To this end, I would like to remind you all about the African Union’s Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) among other initiatives.
I respectfully request President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to continue to put women’s health high on the political agenda in Liberia and beyond in collaboration with the other Heads of State in Africa. I am sure, Madam President, that you will be an excellent Chairperson and a diligent advocate of women’s health.
Dr Margaret Chan, the WHO Director-General made a commitment that WHO’s work be judged by the improvement of health of the African people and particularly that of women. I would like to reaffirm WHO’s commitment to continue working closely with governments, development partners and communities to improve health outcomes of women in Africa.
I cannot conclude my remarks without expressing appreciation to partners that came to lend their support to this initiative. I want to particularly recognise the presence of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Liberia, Representatives of United Nations agencies, the representative of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the President of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), NEPAD, ADB, World Bank, Regional Economic Communities, among other partners.
I thank you.