SDGs a renewed commitment to improve women’s health – Kabanshi

Community Development Minister Emerine Kabanshi says the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a renewed commitment to the improvement of women and children’s health in the World.

Speaking during the opening of a partnership board meeting in Lusaka today, Ms. Kabanshi says as countries move into the post 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), everyone has an important role to play in making sure that the vision from the MDGs for the women and children are not sidelined, but further supported to improve women and children’s health.

Ms. Kabanshi notes that admittedly, great success has been scored for women and children over the last couple of decades with accelerated improvement being achieved citing the global decline in the maternal mortality ratio by 45% over the past 24 years.

She however, states that Zambia and the world at large still have a long way to go to meet the proposed SDG target of reducing maternal mortality to 70 out of every 100, 000 live births by the year 2030.

Ms. Kabanshi says it is quiet saddening that even though intervention of improving women and children’s health are known, the coverage of the proven effective interventions has been inadequate.

She also noted inequalities in access to and utilization of the interventions within countries.

Ms Kabanshi further adds that young people must be recognized as a crucial resource for realizing the post 2015 agenda, stating that the voice of the youth is an integral part of ensuring that women and children’s health improves in a sustainable manner.

And United Nations Resident Coordinator, Janet Rogan says the UN family will work with the Zambian government to reinforce capacity to develop, uptake and monitor inclusive evidence based policies and interventions to improve the health of women and children.