Forums and Events 2009
The Nossal Institute for Global Health 5th Annual Global Health Forum
Millennium Development Goal 5: how are we delivering? Maternal health towards 2015
Globally more than half a million women die from pregnancy and childbirth related causes each year. For every death another 20 suffer illness or injury. Ninety nine percent of these deaths occur in developing countries, and nearly all could be averted if women had access to essential maternity and basic healthcare services.
Millennium Development Goal 5 aims to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters between 1990 and 2015, and to ensure reproductive health for all women. Progress is faltering. Complex interventions are required: empowered women, informed communities, access to transport, and well-equipped functional health systems responsive to emergencies.
The 5th Annual Nossal Global Health Forum, 1st October 2009, brought together passionate experts in maternal health from a variety of sectors to look behind MDG 5 and respond to the question, How are we delivering?”
The full day event kicked off with key note addresses from Dame Carol Kidu, the Papua New Guinea Minister for Community Development, and UNICEF Australia’s Chief Executive Carolyn Hardy.
Presentations and panel discussions explored crucial issues, effective and novel approaches, and country-level and systems responses for maternal health. Experts who added to the picture throughout the day were from the University of Melbourne and the Nossal Institute for Global Health, the Burnet Institute and “Compass: Women’s and Children’s Health Knowledge Hub”, and other international organisations including UNICEF, The Age Newspaper (Jo Chandler) and Australian Volunteers International.
The day culminated in a closing address by Sir Gustav Nossal, and time to reflect with fellow participants over African canapés.
Speaker Presentations
Ms Carolyn Hardy - UNICEF's State of the World's Children 2009 | Reducing Maternal Deaths - A Pacific Context
Dr Alison Morgan (Nossal Institute) - Looking behind Millenium Development Goal 5
Ms Mia Urbano (Nossal Institute) - Raising the voice of human rights for maternal health
Associate Profesor Stephen Rogerson (University of Melbourne, Department of Medicine) - Malaria in pregnancy - how might research guide policy?
Ms Anna Bauze (Burnet Institute) - Maternal Health in Papua New Guinea
Ms Prarthna Dayal (Nossal Institute) - Meeting MDG5: Country Response India
Dr Umaru Jalloh (MPH student International Health, University of Melbourne to study) - Country Profile Sierra Leone
Dr Chris Morgan (Burnet Institute) - Nepal and MDG5
Dr Natalie Gray (Burnet Institute) - Strengthening community based HR for reproductive and maternal health care
Disability Inclusive Development CBM-Nossal Partnership Forums
The CBM-Nossal Partnership for Disability Inclusive Development held two Disability Inclusive Development Forums, one in Melbourne on 16 and 17 July and another in Sydney on 29 and 30 July 2009. The events, with the aim to bringing together those interested in disability and development for information sharing and networking, were organsied in collaboration with the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), Australian Disability and Development Consortium (ADDC), Caritas Australia and People with Disability (PWD).