Minister Christian Paradis launches a webinar to better equip Canadian organizations with information on how to apply for the recently announced Partnerships for Strengthening Maternal, Newborn and Child Health call for proposals
November 14, 2014 - Montréal, Quebec – Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
Today, at the Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine (CHU Sainte-Justine), the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, emphasized the Government of Canada’s commitment to working with Canadians to help improve the health and survival of mothers and their children in developing countries. Minister Paradis launched a webinar session to arm Canadian organizations with the information needed to apply for a call for proposals on the subject.
Health care practitioners and members of health professional associations and medical associations, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations, gathered at the CHU Sainte-Justine and at satellite events at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and the BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre and BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver to participate in a technical webinar on the recently launched Partnerships for Strengthening Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PSMNCH) call for proposals. The webinar, which was open to all Canadians, provided guidance on the application process and an opportunity for prospective applicants to ask questions about the call for proposals.
“The Harper government is committed to ending the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children under the age of five within a generation,” said Minister Paradis. “This call for proposals is an opportunity to reach out to current and potential partners, including Canadian civil society, academic and private sector organizations, and to leverage Canadians’ expertise and innovation in improving the health of mothers and children in developing countries and ultimately deliver on this commitment. We look forward to working with our Canadian partners to further our country’s leadership on MNCH.”
On November 5, 2014, Minister Paradis launched the call for proposals, which is valued at $370 million and sets aside nearly five times more resources for Canadian partners than the Muskoka Initiative Partnership Program. It will fund initiatives for as long as five years. The initiatives will help reduce maternal and child mortality and improve women’s and children’s health in 40 developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The focus will be on strengthening health systems, reducing the burden of disease, improving nutrition, and ensuring accountability for results.
Canada is a global leader in ending preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children in the developing world. This call for proposals reinforces the Harper government’s leadership. It seizes on momentum generated at the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City in September 2014 and the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach summit in Toronto in May 2014, and builds on results achieved through the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, launched by Canada at the G-8 Summit in 2010. Thanks to Canadian leadership and subsequent global action, maternal mortality rates are declining and millions more children are celebrating their fifth birthday.
The call for proposals is a first step in Canada’s renewed MNCH collaboration with Canadian partners and follows through on the commitment made by Prime Minister Harper at the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach summit. Over the next five years, there will be many more opportunities for Canadian organizations to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their experience, as Canada accelerates its bilateral efforts in shaping and delivering on Canada’s top development priority.
“I am proud of the success of our partnership with Canadian organizations through the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health,” said Minister Paradis. “Millions of lives have been saved through better nutrition, immunizations, health worker training, micronutrient supplements, and more. Communities in the developing world will be stronger and more prosperous because of Canada’s leadership in saving the lives of mothers and children.”
Partners and those interested in the Partnerships for Strengthening Maternal, Newborn and Child Health call for proposals and future calls for proposals are encouraged to visit the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada calls for proposals web page and subscribe to the RSS feeds to get the most up-to-date information.
Over the coming months, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada will also be working with the Canadian Network for MNCH to maximize the participation of Canadian organizations contributing to maternal, newborn and child health projects in Canada’s bilateral programs.
Maxime Robert
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
343-203-6238
maxime.robert@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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