The First lady, Mrs. Mahama gave the concluding remarks at a high-level dialogue with African first ladies on maternal and new-born health beyond 2014 on the sidelines of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly, which took place in New York in September 2014. She said:
“It is important that we mobilize political support, provide leadership in strategic partnerships that will accelerate progress in reducing maternal and child mortality… We will continue in our efforts to protect these vulnerable populations from the many pregnancy related challenges that they face.”
She commended the UN and its agencies as well as her colleagues for their contribution to improving the living conditions of women in Ghana.
“I wish to acknowledge my colleague first ladies for showcasing to the world the excellent work we are doing on the continent to achieve a healthy life for mothers and adolescents and to significantly reduce maternal and newborn deaths.”
The dialogue on Maternal and New-Born Health beyond 2014 was put together by the organization of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund. It attracted First Ladies and dignitaries from across the African continent and beyond, including Madam Ban Soon-Taek, wife of the UN Secretary General, Ban Kin-Moon and Her Royal Highness Anna Garcia De Hernandez, First Lady of Honduras.
The session seeks to advocate the reduction of maternal mortality in Africa with a focus on adolescent girls who are the great sufferers.It also aims to accelerate efforts to attain millennium development goal 5 while ensuring that sexual and reproductive health rights of women particularly adolescent girls are championed in the post 2015 development agenda. African First Ladies took turns to catalogue the challenges that confront women, children and adolescents in their respective countries on the sidelines of the 69th Session of the United Nations General assembly,United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors, Yvonne Chaka Chaka from South Africa and Angelique Kidjo from Benin, challenged the African First Ladies to be the drivers of their own agenda to help make women and children more comfortable.
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The pictures and parts of the article were gleaned from spyghana and GBC.
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First Ladies discussing maternal and newborn health -
