A Global conference that aims at encouraging governments to integrate women’s health and rights into their national policies and strategies opens today (Thursday) in London, United Kingdom.

The three day conference focuses on creating political will that will result in resources being put in programmes that have a direct effect in improving and saving the lives of mothers and new born babies around the world. 

Dubbed The Women Deliver Conference, the meeting is being attended by health and planning ministers, legislators and members of the civil society from 35 countries. 

These arrays of experts are expected to offer useful lessons and proposals on how to reduce maternal mortality and poverty, among other issues.

The meeting is coming at a time when more than 500,000 women still die every year in pregnancy or after childbirth in spite of two decades of efforts to bring down the toll. 

Most affected are the developing countries where women die of avoidable complications such a hemorrhages and abortions as a result of lack of contraceptive policy in most countries. 

Issues pertaining to maternal health, sexual reproduction, health, and rights, HIV Aids with a practical focus on women, youth empowerment, girl’s education and gender equality are to be deliberated upon. 

A campaign to raise substantial additional resources from public and the private sectors is to be launched during the conference that is also marking the 20^th anniversary of the launch of the global safe motherhood initiative. 

Research and experiences that will be shared at the conference will help demonstrate the critical connection between women’s health, rights, sound economies and healthy families. 

Kenya will be represented by a high powered team led by the newly appointed Health Minister John Sang at the forum that is designed to review data and analyze the efforts made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) that targets to reduce death rates by 75% from their 1990 level by 2015. 

Ministers have been asked to develop a brief public statement of commitment to meeting the MDG 5 and not speeches to help attract fresh and analytical reaction from delegates. 

The conference that will be held on 18^th – 20^th is organized by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Other donors includes UK’s Department for International Development (DFID),the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Family Care International, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Save the Children and The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. 

The meeting will be chaired by the UN Deputy Secretary General Dr . Asha Rose Migiro and former Australian Prime Minister Ms Mary Robinson.