Post 2015 development agenda is the ongoing global discussion around the health and wellbeing of women and children. As the wrapping up of the Millennium Development Goals is giving way to the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, stronger focus is beaming on strategies to improve health outcomes targeting Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH).
This is the basis for a consultation for the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health, to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals are a reflection of the views and voices of global stakeholders.
Nigeria has lent a voice to this process through contributions of ideas and opinions by civil society and non-governmental organisations, and the media, at a forum conducted by the Accountability Mechanism for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Nigeria (AMHiN), an umbrella body of organisations working to ensure accountability in maternal and newborn health.
The discussion was facilitated by Dr. Sara Bandali, MamaYe Nigeria's technical support lead.
The forum built discussions and suggestions around 9 critical areas that are expected to shape the sustainable development agenda strategy for RMNCAH. The 9 areas are:
- National Leadership
- Health systems strengthening and universal health coverage
- Adolescents
- Social and economic determinants of health
- Innovation
- Human rights
- Humanitarian setting
- Financing
- Monitoring and accountability
Overall, the forum agreed that the recent attainment of a National Health Act in Nigeria has strongly shaped the advocacy landscape, which is an indication of major achievements that Nigeria can accomplish in the RMNCAH sustainable development goals agenda.
As such, Nigeria stands on a very important platform to make input to the global strategy on the health of women and children.
When the report of the outcome of the forum is presented to the World Health Organisation, Nigeria would have contributed to the global strategy that will cater to the needs of the health and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents.