Toronto, Ontario - 28 May 2014
“It is a pleasure to welcome delegates to Canada’s Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach Summit here in Toronto. This Summit will provide an opportunity for Canada’s domestic and international partners to focus on a common goal of global importance, a goal that is Canada’s top development priority: eliminating the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children in developing countries. Specifically, we will work together on three key objectives: delivering results for mothers and children, doing more together globally, and taking real action for women’s and children’s health.
“We meet at a critical moment: one marked by progress and promise, but also by a global imperative to achieve greater results to end the tragedy of women and children dying needlessly from causes we can prevent.
“The world has made undeniable progress since the 2010 G-8 Muskoka Summit where Canada brought maternal, newborn and child health to the forefront of the global development agenda. Since then, we have worked together globally as never before – significantly reducing the number of women who die each year during pregnancy or childbirth, dramatically increasing the number of children who live past the age of five, and preventing an estimated two million deaths in the last three years from disease alone.
“These statistics represent lives saved. They embody the hopes of every parent: that our children will not only survive, but grow up healthy and strong, nurtured. That children will go to school and have opportunities to prosper and contribute to their communities and countries.
“Today, we know more than ever before about how to save the lives of women and children at risk in developing countries. We’ve learned important lessons about enhancing immunization and nutrition, about strengthening health care systems, and about the importance of collecting and maintaining vital statistics including birth and death registries.
“We’ve also learned that no one country can act alone, and about the need for political leadership, financial commitment, accountability, and bold new and innovative partnerships.
“As we approach 2015, the time has come to take the next steps: to renew our commitment to the maternal, newborn and child agenda; to build on the progress of the Millennium Development Goals; and to take bold action to prevent the deaths of millions of mothers, newborns and children over the coming years.
“The momentum is with us. We have, within arm’s reach, the power to end the preventable deaths of women and children in the developing world. Together, we hold these lives in our hands.
“At the Toronto Summit, we will keep these lives at the top of the global agenda – by reaffirming and strengthening our commitment to saving every woman and every child. It is within arm’s reach.”
