WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION Main Submitter: Republic of Niger Signatories: Federal Republic of Somalia, Federative Republic of Brazil, Canada, Islamic Republic of Iran, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Rwanda, United Mexican States, Republic Of Germany, Russian Federation, France, Republic of the Philippines, Turkey Question: Maternal Health THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, Recalling the World Conference on Women in Beijing’s definition of women’s reproductive rights as: “…implies that women are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so… to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning of their choices… and the right of access to appropriate healthcare services”, Acknowledging the UNDP’s significant effort in improving circumstances of maternal health, such as setting the MDG5 in 2000 as reducing average maternal mortality by 75%, and achieving universal access to maternal health by 2015, Realizing the probable failure of reaching the aforementioned MDG by 2015, Concerned that 99% of global maternal deaths occur in developing countries, and recognizes the imperative need for financial and technological aid to be provided to developing nations to assist the improvement of maternal health conditions, Gravely concerned of the situation in which 80% of global maternal deaths are caused by highly preventable and curable causes, such as severe bleeding, infections, high blood pressure during pregnancy (pre eclampsia and eclampsia), and unsafe abortions, Cognizant of the complex social economic environments and other underlying factors that lead to poor maternal health conditions, such as poverty, lack of urbanization, lack of education and information, and stipulation of cultural practices and religious superstition as monumental obstacles that may be preventing the advancement of maternal health conditions’, Expressing its desire for the council to reach an agreeable consensus on concrete and effective measures and frameworks to improve global conditions of maternal health, and to accelerate the progress of reduction of maternal mortality rates as of the MDG5, Expressing full support to the worldwide safeguarding of women’s maternal and reproductive health,
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Commending all nations to protect the women’s reproductive and sexual health through methods such as, but not limited to,
1. Establishing its stance that the following should be respected when discussing the improvement of women’s reproductive rights, as long as the condition that fundamental human rights are not violated: a. Religious beliefs; b. Social practices and norms; c. Social economic conditions such as overpopulation in respective countries; d. Medical privacy; e. Equitable access to health and medical services; 3. Calls for the further expansion of development frameworks and goals in improving maternal health, addressing significant enhancements in indicators such as but not limited to: a. Proportion of childbirths attended to by skilled health personnel; b. Contraceptive prevalence rates; c. Adolescent pregnancy rates; d. Antenatal checkups coverage rates; e. Unmet needs for family planning; 4. Urges all nations to ensure provision of sexual education and accessible outlets of information regarding sexual and reproductive health and pregnancy to girls and women; with the principle purpose being to better equip women with knowledge safe sexual intercourse, pregnancy, childbirth and post birth followups to reduce situations of unwanted pregnancy, adolescent pregnancy, and unsafe child births; with details such as but not limited to the following: a. Increase training for frontline educators, social workers, community health workers regarding the communication, dissemination and education of information to girls and women, especially when concerning interference with local cultural norms, religious practices, superstitions and mistrust, by adopting culture and religion specific approaches in presenting related information; b. Designing a curriculum for integration of sexual education into regular national education system, addressing topics and issues such as but not limited to: i. Importance of using contraceptive methods in preventing unwanted pregnancies and transmission of STDs; ii. Information on widespread and common STDs such as HIV/AIDS, herpes and chlamydia; iii. Available options and correct use of contraceptive means; iv. Importance of family planning; v. Physical and psychological repercussions of adolescent pregnancy; 2
vi. Risks and possible medical complications stemming from pregnancy; vii. Importance of antenatal medical checkups and regular communication and consultation with skilled health workers prior to childbirth; viii. Importance of presence of skilled medical personnel or trained midwife during process of childbirth; xl. Importance of proper post childbirth medical checkups and clinical visits; c. Provision of sexual education targeting women and girls above 13 years of age that are outside the education system, with a curriculum similar to that detailed in clause b, acknowledging this age as the starting point of time where females are more exposed to issues of reproduction and sexual intercourse, with details such as but not limited to: 1. Organization of workshops, talks and seminars ; 2. Distribution of pamphlets, information booklets and posters; 3. Broadcasting of related information through mass media such as television and radio; 4. Household visits by trained medical and health personnel; d. Further ensuring the smooth and practical implementation of the above mentioned means of sexual education by methods of: i. Maintaining active contact with national health ministries, NGOs and local communities on the issue, and delivering the most updated information to facilitate sexual education of women; ii. Aiding the establishment of local and community based women organizations for women to receive support on, discuss and act on women right’s issues, reproductive health issues, and pregnancy related medical complications through allocation of related professionals and financial funding and loans; 5. Suggest nations to perceive the utilization of the use of contraception in all communities, especially in rural areas to prevent unwanted pregnancy, as a means to improve maternal health conditions with details of following: a. Allocating financial funds from the government at their own right to place bulk purchases of contraceptive means, and conducting effective redistribution of such resources to regional clinics and health institutions, in an effort to lower the price and increase the financial affordability of contraception as an option to both men and women; b. Suggests at least one option of the following contraceptives are available to women at a reasonably low price; the options include but is not limited to: i. Condoms; ii. Diaphragms; iii. Female condoms; 3
iv. Spermicide; v. Contraceptive pills; vi. Intra Uterine Device (IUD); c Suggesting the above is provided at least in easily accessible venues such as, but not limited to: i. Community hospitals, clinics and health centers; ii. Women’s health centers; d. Ensuring that women utilizing such and resources are aware of the correct usages of various contraceptive means to allow its maximum efficiency and effectiveness; 6. Encourages all nations to increase education, training and related technical support to womens’ health workers, midwives and community health personnel, especially those in low income communities, to increase their performance and effectiveness in improving maternal health conditions on a regional and community level; targeting the specific cultural and religious contexts of such communities to develop effective measures in improving maternal health care, by means such as but not limited to: a. Employing and distributing to rural areas full time midwives and maternal health care workers by first providing training to such personnel according to international standards, which should include theoretical knowledge as well as practical training and clinical visits; b. Providing technical support to such training initiatives by establishing cooperative programs recruiting and encouraging experienced maternal health workers in the nation to train and provide insight to apprenticing midwives, and recruiting and encouraging medicine and nursery graduates from national universities to participate in volunteer programs providing maternal health care to low income communities; c. Providing cash transfers as means to attract rural midwives and health workers to participate in reeducation and reinforced training programs to improve and update their theoretical and procedural knowledge regarding maternal health and childbirth; 7. Recommends all nations to address adolescent pregnancy by means such as but not limited to: a. Further increasing percentages of educated young females in the nation; b. Establishment of legal framework to set up age limits for consummation of marriages and other sexual activities; c. Reinforcement of teenage sex education programs according to details mentioned in clause 4; d. Emphasize distribution of contraceptive means to adolescent marriages and teenagers by means mentioned in clause 5; 8. Endorses all nations to address the social, economic and cultural causes of high maternal mortality by means such as but not limited to: a. Addressing social and cultural causes of high maternal mortality, such as patriarchy in the form of male domination over the pregnancy process leading to unscientific and unbeneficial decisions towards maternal health, and stipulation of religious superstition leading to lack of professional medical presence during the pregnancy, by means such as providing education and information sessions to males, community leaders, and religious representatives through community based NGOs; 4
b. Addressing economic causes of high maternal mortality, such as poverty and lack of urbanization leading to unaccessible distance from adequate maternal health care facilities, by means such as providing cash refunds and reduction or exemption of service charges, as an incentive to attract women from low income families to deliver safely in the sterilized environments clinics and hospitals under professional medical care, instead of in rural settings; 9. Further invites nations to institutionalize the protection and implementation of rights to maternal health to reinforce the rights and safety of mothers before, during and after pregnancies: a. Development and use case management protocols for obstetric emergencies at levels of the community, region and beyond; b. Establish national standards for maternal health care services through outlining a set of essential equipment, medication and required number of skilled health personnel in maternal health facilities; c. Advocating further revision and amendment of legislation according to the most updated technology and health protocols to enable an appropriate health service response to obstetric need; 10. Encourages cooperation among the WHO, UNDP and its partners in maternal health, particularly national health ministries, related NGOs, community based health programs in improving maternal health care conditions in a cooperative spirit by means such as but not limited to: a. Encouraging NGOs and community based maternal health care organizations to: i. Remain in active communication and contact with local women and health workers to obtain up to date information and statistics on maternal health care conditions; ii. Report collected information back to national health organizations and ministries to further enhance the development of more specific and efficient policy making concerning maternal health care; iii. Assist the UN and national governments’ efforts in improving circumstances of maternal health by initiating more sex education programs targeting females, increasing training for medical personnel and eradicating adolescent pregnancy in reference to details mentioned in previous clauses; b. Encouraging national health ministries to actively collect, analyze and present information and data regarding maternal health conditions in communities and regions, especially those affected by poverty for the consideration of UN organizations for better planning and allocation of resources in the future regarding improvement of maternal health care conditions; 11. Urges all nations to improve states of maternal healthcare in low income communities as soon as possible to mitigate the particular lack of adequate maternal health care services that accosts for an especially high proportion of maternal deaths in such areas, in particular short term, high impact means such as but not limited to: a. Operation of emergency maternal health clinics in low income communities with details as follows: i. Allocating skilled health workers and midwives to impoverished areas to perform antenatal checkups, provide supervision over births and post birth health care services to reduce maternal death by preventable pregnancy related medical complications; ii. Allocating adequate and essential medical equipment, medications and vaccinations to 5
enhance the efficacy of the provision of maternal healthcare; ii. Encouraging prospective mothers to regularly visit such clinics for checkups, informational sessions and related maternal health care services through initiating communication and outreach programs with girls and women in the community; b. Establish emergency communication systems, such as SMS communication and Internet communication networks, to facilitate communication between prospective mothers and medical workers, through which emergency medical attention and aid can be provided in the event of pregnancy related medical emergencies; 13. Calls for developed nations to provide the following aid to less developed countries in achieving better reproductive rights and maternal health care conditions for women by means such as but not limited to: a. Providing means of financial funding to developing nations in support of improving conditions of maternal health, through means such as but not limited to: i. Provision of financial aid in the form of conditional loans of relatively low interest rates; ii. Provision of grants under the circumstance of close supervision of progress by representatives and specialists to prevent loss of grant funds to corruption and inefficiency; iii. Participation in investment in community infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, water projects, agricultural development projects and other skill specific development projects with the aim to increase economic independency and prosperity in low income regions and communities; b. Supply of training to local health workers and midwives of women’s reproductive health through initiating programs with maternal health professionals and specialists to visit developing nations to exchange information and experience with local health workers and midwives regarding maternal health care; c. Supply of relevant equipment and infrastructure regarding protecting women’s reproductive health; 14. Requests divisions under UN Women, such as the Commission of Status of Women, or other related UN organizations to continue their efforts in collecting data and researching the various social, cultural and religious influences upon the reproductive health and rights of women, for the purpose of further in depth understanding of the issue at hand, and thus developing further effective solutions; 15. Expresses its desire for the achievement of complete maternal and reproductive health and rights for women globally; 16. Resolves to remain actively seized on the matter.
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