Bachelet's U.N. Debut Brightens MDG Summit

By Amy Lieberman

WeNews correspondent

Friday, September 24, 2010

Funding commitments for global maternal health, the most lagging U.N. Millennium Development Goal, were predictably disappointing this week. But Michelle Bachelet's first appearance as head of the women's "superagency" raised some spirits.

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Lagging Progress on MDG 5

This week's development goals review summit tracked 10 years of progress on eight commitments made by donor countries to reduce poverty and improve health, gender equality and education.

With lagging progress on MDG No. 5 high in the news headlines, countries, foundations and private corporations pledged $40 billion for Ban's "Global Strategy on Women and Children's Health."

The strategy is said to prevent 33 million unwanted pregnancies by 2015, but ActionAid's Kerr said it could also create a trap that makes it "very, very easy to fall into the 'women solely as the mother' issue."

Also, only about half of the $40 billion was pledged this week, said Emma Seery, who leads Oxfam International's delegation on the Millennium Development Goals.

The rest was carried over from June's G-8 Summit, a meeting of the world's eight most economically-advanced countries, and other events.

"We need to see some new money to really make this work," said Seery.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mali, Nigeria and Haiti recommitted pledges to improve maternal health with increases in health spending, adding skilled birth attendants and distributing more birth control.

Liberia announced free universal access to health services for women. The Congo said it will introduce free obstetric care and free access to Caesarean sections by 2015.