New initiative will pursue innovative solutions for maternal, newborn and child health in developing countries
June 12, 2015 – Toronto, Ontario - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today announced Canada’s support to Grand Challenges Canada (GCC) for a large-scale initiative aimed at developing and testing new innovations supporting maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in developing countries. Minister Paradis was joined at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) by Dr. Peter Singer, Chief Executive Officer of GCC, and Dr. Stanley Zlotkin, Chief of the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health—two eminent Canadians widely recognized for their expertise and influence in MNCH.
Building on the success of Canada’s ongoing partnership with GCC, the Innovation Platform for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health will support Canadian and developing-country innovators to tackle persistent global health challenges in new and creative ways. GCC will also leverage private sector expertise and resources to scale up these innovations to improve the lives of mothers, newborns and children.
Support for the new initiative is part of Canada’s commitment to improve the health of mothers, newborns and children around the world announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Saving Every Woman, Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach global summit in Toronto in May 2014.
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