Champions for girls and women to convene at Women Deliver 2013 conference

Global leaders and advocates including Filipino groups championing women’s rights will convene at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 28-30, 2013 during the Women Deliver 2013 global meeting.

 

Filipino groups slated to attend the event include Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), Philippine NGO Council on Population Health and Welfare, Inc., Family Planning Organization of the Philippines, Philippine NGO Council on Population Health and Welfare, Inc. and Society for Family Development and Education of the Philippines.

 

Scheduled speakers include:

 

Women Deliver 2013 is expected to be the largest global meeting of the decade to focus on the health and well-being of girls and women. The conference will convene influential leaders and experts from more than 160 countries and aims to ensure that investments in girls and women remain a global priority in the lead-up to the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) deadline and beyond.  

 

This will be the first time Women Deliver’s triennial conference will take place in Asia, which offers an unprecedented opportunity to engage regional leaders on these issues. While many countries across the continent have shown remarkable progress – such as Malaysia, which has reduced its maternal mortality rate by 45% since 1990 – others are still struggling to curb maternal mortality and increase access to family planning.

 

In the Philippines alone, it was only recently that the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill has been passed into law—a move expected to positively impact the health and the lives of women throughout the country. The Population Fund approximates that there are 11 deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes every day in the Philippines and that most could have been avoided under a well-functioning health care delivery system. The report said maternal health conditions are the leading causes of burden of disease among Filipino women.

 

“Countries across Asia have made tremendous strides toward expanding access to family planning and reducing maternal mortality in recent years, but much work remains around maternal morbidity, quality of care, and reaching the last mile. Some women die during pregnancy and childbirth, while for other women, life is a living death experience,” said Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India. “Women Deliver 2013 will be a critical opportunity to discuss ongoing challenges, share strategies for success and, ultimately, drive continued progress for girls and women everywhere.”  

 

The conference will address a number of key issues related to girls and women across the region, including leadership, health, violence against women, and education. The first day of the conference will largely focus on investing in women; the second day will concentrate on the global unmet need for family planning; and the third day will emphasize the importance of including women in the post-2015 development framework.   

 

Leading regional reproductive and maternal health organizations, including the Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Asian Forum of Parliamentarians in Population and Development (AFPPD), and local offices of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), will take part in these discussions.

 

“Addressing women’s health and empowerment is about human rights and women’s lives,” said Mu Sochua, Member of Parliament in Cambodia. “Now is the time for us to deliver on promises we’ve made to girls and women around the world. We must stand with, fight for and move forward with women.”

 

Media registration for Women Deliver 2013 is open, and all accredited journalists from print, broadcast and online news outlets are eligible for complimentary registration. Media attendees will have access to all conference sessions, and benefit from a variety of on-site media amenities, including a press workroom and daily press conferences. Nearly 120 journalists from around the world have already registered to attend the meeting, and dozens more are expected. 

 

All conference plenary sessions and press conferences will be webcast and archived. A ‘virtual’ media room will also be available to those who are unable to attend the conference in person. Virtual registrants will have access to all conference materials, as well as webcasts of high-level sessions and press conferences at Women Deliver 2013.

 

Women Deliver 2013 hopes to build on the success of previous Women Deliver conferences in 2007 and 2010, and generate new political, financial and grassroots support for girls’ and women’s health and empowerment, while fostering the next generation of leaders for gender equality.   

For more information on Women Deliver, please visit www.womendeliver.org and follow WOMEN DELIVER on Facebook and Twitter.  Press release from Women Deliver 2013