National workshop on the accountability framework, 12 December 2012

12 December 2012 - The Ministry of Health in Iraq, in collaboration with WHO, has developed a road map to strengthen results and accountability for women’s and child’s health in Iraq. The three day high-level meeting took place from 10 to 12 December, 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey, in the presence of delegates from the Ministry of Health, medical and nursing syndicates, United Nations Population Fund, USAID and WHO.  

The meeting aimed to enhance country-led monitoring, evaluation and review of national plans and determine the most important priorities on reproductive, maternal and child health, within the context of the Global Commission’s accountability framework to accelerate progress towards achieving MDGs 4 and 5 in the Region.

“Mothers and children are among the most vulnerable segment of the population. Substantial progress has been made in the area of maternal, reproductive and child health and nutrition, however, several countries in our Region, including Iraq, have maternal and child mortality rates that are among the highest in the world,” said Dr Hassan Hadi Baker, Director General of Public Health Directorate, Ministry of Health.                                    

In Iraq the infant mortality rate is 32.9 per 1000 live births, under-5 mortality is 37.9 per 1000 live births (Multiple indicator cluster survey 4, 2011). Similarly, the percentage of deliveries conducted in the institutions and the contraceptive prevalence rate have increased over the past years.

It is a collegial effort, requiring strong collaboration of key stakeholders working for health sector. “Everybody is accountable for making a change in reducing maternal and newborn mortality. Let's convert promises and commitments to results focus on the absolute need to strengthen health systems in Iraq,” said Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative in Iraq.

This exercise of developing a road map to strengthen results and accountability for women’s and child’s health is part of a chain of innovative mechanisms and instruments linked to the United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health and the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health which has been established to coordinate a process to improve information and accountability.

The completed road map for 2013-2015 which will cover the priority interventions aiming to improve maternal and child health will expedite the progress toward accomplishment of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 for reduction of child and maternal deaths by 2015. Dr Baker added  that the Ministry of Health would use this tool in other programmes to determine and expedite the progress towards the national commitment in the National Development Plan and Ministry of Health strategic plan.

The road map for Iraq will be presented in a regional meeting on "Saving the lives of mothers and children: accelerating progress towards achieving MDGS 4 and 5 in the Region that will take place between 29 and 30 January 2012 in Doha, Qatar. The representatives of 10 selected countries in East Mediterranean  Region will participate in the above-mentioned meeting and are expected to come up with regional commitment of leaders to improve maternal and child health in agreement with emerging global targets; develop a regional declaration on maternal and child health with defined commitments; establish a regional commission on maternal and child health; agree on practical coordination mechanisms to accelerate progress towards MDGs 4 and 5 in the Region and increase the commitment of partners to support accelerated action for maternal and child health in the Region.