Academy for Educational Development

The Lancet: World Maternal Mortality Has Dropped,
But Is Still Unacceptably High in Africa

What Is the African Union Doing About It?

Preview of 2010 African Union Summit Talks:

African Union Commissioner of Social Affairs to Present
Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality
at AED on April 20

What: The African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs, Advocate Bience P. Gawanas, will present the African Union’s Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality and the Maputo Plan of action on sexual and reproductive health. This will be in advance of the African Union Summit to be held this July in Kampala, Uganda, which will focus on maternal, infant, and child health. A panel will discuss the implications for U.S.-based organizations working on these issues.

Who:  

• Her Excellency, Advocate Bience P. Gawanas, Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union
• Her Excellency, Ambassador Amina S. Ali, Permanent Representative of the AU Mission to the USA
• Doyin Oluwole, Director, Africa’s Health in 2010, AED
• Holly Ladd, Vice President & Director, AED Satellife
• Mursaleena Islam, Senior Associate/Economist, Abt Associates Inc.
• Serra Sippel, President, Center for Health & Gender Equity (CHANGE)

Where: AED Globe Theater, 1929 Florida Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009

When: April 20, 2010, 10:00am–12:00 noon [coffee at 9:30am]

Why: Maternal and child health are major parts of the Obama administration’s Global Health Initiative, comprise two of the U.N.’s eight Millennium Development Goals, and are the topics of this year’s African Union Summit. While this week’s The Lancet study reports a decrease in maternal mortality globally, in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, it is still unacceptably high.

About AED: AED is a nonprofit organization working globally to create enduring solutions to critical problems in health, education, social and economic development.  Collaborating with partners throughout the world, AED develops and implements ideas that change lives through more than 300 programs in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and more than 150 countries. www.aed.org

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