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A $25 Billion Pledge to End Preventable Deaths by 2030

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 26 2015 (IPS) - As the summit meeting on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came to a close, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced over $25 billion in initial commitments, spanning five years, to help end preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents, and ensure their health and well-being.

The pledge to support the ‘Global Strategy for Women’s Children’s and Adolescents’ Health’ came from Heads of State and Government, international organizations, the private sector, foundations, civil society, research and academic institutions, and other key partners.

With ambitious yet achievable targets and fully aligned with the SDGs, the Global Strategy offers a roadmap to end all preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents, and ensure that they not only survive, but also thrive and transform the world, the United Nations said in a press release.

“The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, which I am proud to launch today, will help to build resilient and healthy societies. We have shown that our partnership can yield concrete results. I, and the entire UN system, remain dedicated to saving and improving the lives of the most vulnerable amongst us,” said Ban.

According to the press release, the commitments announced are expected to grow significantly in the coming years, and include new policies and groundbreaking partnerships from 40 countries and over 100 international organizations, philanthropic foundations, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector.

Pledges include contributions from the United States ($3.3 billion), Canada ($2.6 billion), Sweden ($2.5 billion), Germany ($1.3 billion), Norway ($420 million), Netherlands ($326 million) and Korea ($300 million) among other donor countries, but do not reflect substantial domestic resources already committed to this agenda.

The amount pledged so far also includes an estimated $6 billion of in-kind contributions, as well as commitments to the Global Financing Facility in support of Every Woman Every Child, launched during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, in Addis Ababa in July.

The Global Strategy and commitments to it build on 15 years of progress under the Millennium Development Goals and the Every Woman Every Child movement, an unprecedented partnership launched in 2010 to mobilize and intensify international and national action by governments, multilaterals, the private sector and civil society to address the major health challenges facing women and children.

The commitments showcase an increasing number of development partners from emerging economies working together in innovative ways to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. The Every Woman Every Child China Partnership Network, housed at the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries is an example.

The Network, which currently comprises 15 governmental and non-governmental organizations, will support women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health in China and in other countries through South-South and Triangular collaboration.

With an initial contribution of $290 million in support of the Global Strategy, the Network will focus on key areas that affect health, including: insurance, electricity, clean water, information and communication technology, training, medical equipment, nutrition and food safety.

The United Nations also said these comprise commitments from the Faith Leaders Health Alliance, which brings together religious leaders from various faiths, and several youth initiatives such as PACT, ACT!2015, Y-PEER, and Restless Development.

“This engagement reflects the crucial role young people will have in implementing the vision of the Global Strategy and the sustainable development agenda.”

Other important financial and in-kind contributions from civil society organizations include World Vision ($3 billion), Path ($1 billion), Children’s Investment Fund Foundation ($900 million) and International Planned Parenthood Federation ($840 million).

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