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Norwegian Foreign Minister to be member of Every Woman Every Child High-Level Advisory Group

’Improving health services and access to medicines and medical equipment has proved to be an effective way of reducing mortality among women and children. But mortality rates in these groups are still too high in many developing countries. We must build on the lessons learned from the MDGs relating to women’s and children’s health,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende.

Brende has been invited by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to be a member of the High-Level Advisory Group for Every Woman Every Child. The group was launched by the UN General-Secretary today, 21 January, and will be co-chaired by the President of Chile and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

The appointment of the High-Level Advisory Group comes after the launch in September 2015 by General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon of a revised Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health. The strategy provides a roadmap for work in this area as part of the 2030 development agenda. Access to health services is vital if people are to survive and thrive, and is is also a key to achieving sustainable development. Ensuring better health for all is one of the criteria for measuring the success of the 2030 agenda.

The Every Women Every Child movement, a global movement working together towards a common goal, was created as part of the efforts to achieve the MDGs concerned with reducing child and maternal mortality. It will be important for the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group to build on lessons learned and foster links between the Every Women Every Child movement and work to improve health and achieve lasting development that is being done in other sectors such as the education sector.

’One of our goals must to ensure that developing countries themselves are able to develop sustainable health sectors that can meet the needs of women, children and adolescents. The Every Woman Every Child movement is playing a part in this, and will continue its efforts to improve health services and access to medicines and medical equipment where this is most needed.’

’The health needs of adolescents are often overlooked. Their needs must be met so that they can go to school, thrive and contribute to the development of their countries,’  Brende said.

Health and education are priority areas in Norway’s development policy.  Brende will use the experience he has gained from Norway’s efforts in these areas in his role as member of the High-Level Advisory Group.

’I look forward to contributing to the work of the new advisory group,’  Brende said.

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