Ottawa, Ontario April 7, 2005 (CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY) Good morning everyone. I am delighted to share the stage today with Professor Mirembe and Senator Pépin to mark this important occasion. You all know the facts. Every year, more than half a million women die during pregnancy and childbirth. And nearly 11 million children die before their fifth birthday. Most of these deaths take place in developing countries. Think of it: just about every minute a woman dies during childbirth and pregnancy. And every minute, about 21 children under-five also die. Every minute of every day. These deaths do and should shock us all. There is simply no good reason why, in the twenty first century, so many women and children should be dying so needlessly. What makes these deaths especially outrageous is that so many could have been easily prevented ¿ if only adequate health care and sexual and reproductive health services had been available. But the fact is, millions of women and children in the developing world do not have equitable access to health care. And since healthy women are absolutely essential to the health of families, communities, and even countries, this is more than a personal tragedy ¿ it is a tragedy of societal proportions. When we ignore the health of women and children, we undermine all of our efforts to help developing countries lift themselves out of poverty. That is why I cannot think of a more timely message for World Health Day than to "make every mother and child count." The WHO World Health Report, which we are launching today, makes it very clear that 2005 is a critical year for action on these issues. Four years ago, as part of the Millennium Development Goals, the international community pledged to reduce maternal deaths by three-quarters, and to reduce child mortality by two-thirds ¿ all by the year 2015. As this report shows, our progress towards these goals is too slow. In some countries, health care is actually getting worse. And women and children continue to pay the price. Seventy million women and their newborns do not receive the health care they need and deserve. We need to work harder to make sure all families have access to health care. We need to support holistic approaches that address the continuum of health care ¿ from family planning information and contraception to professional care during pregnancy and birth to ongoing support during the post-natal period and beyond. And, in addition to specific health interventions, we need to strengthen national health systems. I think we are on the right track. According to UNICEF, Canada is the world leader in the fight against micronutrient malnutrition. In fact, UNICEF tells us that our support for vitamin A programs has helped save an estimated one-and-a-half million young lives since 1998. Our support for fortifying salt with iodine has saved seven million children from mental impairment. Canada is also a world leader in the fight against deadly disease. Over the last four years, our support for global tuberculosis control has financed the cure of more than two million TB patients. All Canadians can take pride that Canada is making a difference in the world. And make no mistake: we are making progress in key areas. As a global community, we are on the verge of eradicating polio by the end of this year. And we are on track to reduce deaths by measles in half by the end of this year as well. At the same time, there is so much more work to do. For too many women and children, childbirth and the first years of life are dangerous and often deadly. And that is why I am announcing today close to $90 million in new funding for maternal and child health programs. More than half of these funds will promote child health in Africa, including integrated programs related to tuberculosis, micronutrients such as vitamin A, and measles immunization. The balance will promote sexual and reproductive health programs in Haiti, Bangladesh and Nigeria, strengthening national health systems in the process. These funds make mothers and children count. They demonstrate Canada's continued commitment to maternal, newborn, and child health. A significant share of this investment will go to the United Nations Population Fund. I am particularly proud of Canada s support for this organization, which provides essential health services to women around the globe. UNFPA has a considerable funding shortfall, and Canada recently increased its core funding to address this "decency gap." Maternal and child health are crucial to development. Canada is dedicated and proud to be making a difference in the lives of mothers and children worldwide. Thank you.
