April 29, 2014 – Ottawa, Ontario
Check Against Delivery
Thank you, Lois.
I can relate to your stories.
I was very moved— and very proud—to see the difference Canada is making in places like Haiti, Senegal and the Philippines.
When Canadians experience living on $1.75 a day they will quickly understand what a huge difference having enough to eat can make.
The right nutrition is the only way to not only survive but thrive.
And that has to be our goal.
It is about so much more than just survival.
Canada has been instrumental in drawing global attention to maternal and child health.
The Canadian-led Muskoka Initiative, and subsequent global action, has saved millions of lives.
And improved the health of millions more mothers, newborns and children in the developing world.
As Lois mentioned, Canada's focus on maternal and child health reflects the best of Canadian values.
We cannot stand idle while the poorest and most vulnerable suffer deaths that can be easily prevented.
Good nutrition is a crucial first step.
It is at the centre of child health and development.
Healthy children are more likely to stay in school.
They are more likely to contribute to the needs of their family.
And far more likely to reach their full potential.
Experts talk about the "thousand-day window of opportunity".
Those one thousand days include the time between a child's birth and her second birthday.
Proper nutrition during that time greatly improves a child's chance against death or illness from diseases like
- diarrhea,
- malaria,
- pneumonia,
- measles and
- HIV/AIDS.
And the opposite is also true.
Under-nutrition before and after birth causes 45 percent of all deaths in children under five.
Three million deaths each year.
That is why Canada supports the Micronutrient Initiative.
MI is a global leader in scaling up direct nutrition interventions.
And in helping women and children in developing countries receive the vitamins, minerals and nutrients they need to survive.
With Canada's support, between 2010 and 2013, more than 180 million children every year receive two doses of vitamin A.
Vitamin A is a key nutritional element for important for healthy development, a bolstered immune system and improved eyesight.
MI has improved treatment for more than 60,000 children with acute malnutrition.
And they have given key supplements to nearly 2 million pregnant women.
Significant progress has been made.
Thanks to the Muskoka Initiative and subsequent global action, nutrition is improving, and rates of disease are declining.
And millions more children are celebrating their fifth birthday.
Our common goal has not yet been reached.
But it is within arm's reach.
Canada will continue to push women's and children's health to the forefront of the global agenda.
That is why the Prime Minister is once again taking action to mobilize the world.
Canada will be hosting an international summit that will shape the future of Child and Maternal Health.
The Summit, called "Saving Every Woman Every Child: Within Arm's Reach", will be held in Toronto from May 28 to 30.
It will build on Canada's leadership and chart the way forward in three key areas:
- Delivering Results for Mothers and Children
- Doing More Together Globally, and
- Real Action for Women's and Children's Health.
Saving the lives of women and children is not only a moral imperative.
It is the foundation for building prosperous communities for this and future generations.
This work reflects our most strongly held Canadian values.
Together we can eliminate preventable deaths among women, children and newborns.
And save the millions of lives that hang in the balance.
Through activities like Live Below the Line Canadians can engage directly in the fight to end preventable deaths.
Every effort counts.
Thank you.
