Asia-Pacific Leadership and Policy Dialogue for Women’s and Children’s Health

Hosted by PMNCH jointly with WHO, ADB, AusAID and UNICEF
8-9 November 2012, Manila, The Philippines

Rationale

There is evidence on WHAT should be done, e.g. implementing 56 essential reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) interventions, and on WHY investments in RMNCH are important, e.g. social and economic benefits and human rights. The challenge now is on HOW countries can optimize investment, implementation and accountability to improve the health of women and children. Countries have context-specific needs, and one-size investment, implementation and accountability approaches will not fit all.

PMNCH jointly with WHO, ADB, AusAID and UNICEF are organizing a “Leadership and Policy Dialogue” to share lessons across countries, to leverage resources and to accelerate progress for women’s and children’s health. Attendance to the Dialogue will be by invitation.

Objectives

Leadership dialogue
Ministers of health, finance, planning and development; parliamentarians; private sector CEOs; and representatives of regional bodies will share experiences on successes and challenges in implementing national plans to improve the health of women and children. Leaders also will discuss regional action to take forward the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health and the Every Woman Every Child effort to accelerate progress towards MDGs 4 and 5 in Asia and the Pacific.

Technical workshop
Key implementers and experts taking forward the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health in the Asia-Pacific region will review evidence and tools for policy-makers and programme managers to optimize investments, implementation and accountability for women’s and children’s health.

Meeting themes

The leadership and policy dialogue will progress on three main tracks:

1. Investment: Resources and tools to help countries prioritize investments and improve financing of essential RMNCH interventions.
2. Implementation: Country success factors and challenges in implementing and scaling up RMNCH interventions, policy and systems requirements, and innovation.
3. Accountability: Tracking countries’ progress towards MDGs 4 and 5, and women’s and children’s rights, as recommended by the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health.

In addition there will be two cross-cutting themes:

Innovation: Innovations can help accelerate improvements in women’s and children’s health by enabling health and cross-sectoral services to perform more effectively and efficiently.
Advocacy: Regional and national advocacy alliances can help raise awareness and mobilize required resources for investments, implementation and accountability for women’s and children’s health