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FEWO Committee Report

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LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

The Committee was united in wanting to improve the lives of mothers and children around the world. The Committee recommends:

  1. That the Prime Minister encourage his G8 counterparts, other countries, and public and private sector donors to collectively and adequately fund the maternal health commitments undertaken at the 2009 G8 Summit. In order to achieve this objective, the Committee further recommends that the level of funding committed at the upcoming G8 Summit in Canada be sufficient to close the gap that exists in international financing between current levels and what is needed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on child and maternal health by 2015, estimated at $30 billion over the next five years. All development commitments should be time bound, with clear start and end dates; they should be explicit about whether funding is additional or inclusive of previous commitments; and they should also be clear about how much each donor and partner country is contributing.
  2. That the Government of Canada play a strong leadership role at the upcoming G8 Summit in Muskoka by making a firm commitment to realize its share of the G8 funding that will be needed to meet the MDGs on child and maternal health by 2015, an amount which is estimated to be $1.4 billion over the next five years. This commitment should represent new funding and should not be allocated at the expense of existing programs.
  3. That the Government of Canada ensure that the financial support provided to developing countries to improve maternal and child health is delivered in a way that is consistent with the commitments undertaken in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, by working within national plans for maternal and newborn health, where these exist.
  4. That the Government of Canada’s financial commitment to the G8 maternal and child health initiative include funding for all evidence-based interventions across the continuum of care for both mothers and children, as called for by the Maputo Plan of Action and the Cairo Plan of Action. This comprehensive plan should include, but not be limited to: training and support for frontline health workers; better nutrition and provision of micronutrients; treatment and prevention of diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and sepsis; screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS; proper medication; immunization; clean water and sanitation; dissemination of reproductive health and family planning advice, services and supplies; access to safe abortion services where abortion is legal; quality emergency care for complications from unsafe abortions; skilled care for women and newborns during and after their pregnancy; access to emergency obstetric care; and births attended by trained personnel. The Committee recommends that Canada encourage its G8 counterparts to follow suit.
  5. That the G8 encourage a policy environment that permits appropriate community based delivery of treatments for the main childhood illnesses and injuries with an emphasis on pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles, mumps and rubella, and newborn care for sepsis.