Permanent Mission of India, Geneva
Statement by India at the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council during the Panel discussion on Preventable Maternal Mortality and Morbidity and Human Rights delivered by Dr. Sadre Alam, Second Secretary on 9 March 2017
Mr. President,
We welcome this panel discussion and thank the distinguished speakers for their insightful remarks.
2. While we have made significant progress in advancing women and child health, we are conscious that maternal mortality rates are still unacceptably high in our country. Maternal outcomes are dependent on a plethora of factors affecting women's health at different stages of their life. Acknowledging this, India was one of the first countries to adopt a comprehensive 'continuum of care' approach to maternal health by launching the RMNCH+A (Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Plus Adolescent Health) Strategy, which pays equal attention to all stages of women's life.
3. We are striving to achieve universal reproductive health coverage and simultaneously focus on improving the quality of services. In November 2016, the Prime Minister Safe Pregnancy Campaign was launched, which aims to provide assured, comprehensive antenatal care, free of cost, to all pregnant women on the 9th of every month. Last month India joined the new 'Network for Improving Quality of Care for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health'. We are working with WHO, UNICEF and other global partners to deliver the vision of quality that encompasses the human right values of equity and dignity.
4. India was actively engaged in the development of the new UN Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, which places human rights of women and girls at its centre. As rightly highlighted, the success of this Strategy is critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
5. India for one remains strongly committed to taking resolute steps towards eliminating preventable maternal deaths by 2030 by adopting rights-based, evidence-driven and locally grounded strategies that are sensitive and responsive to the needs of all communities.
Thank you.
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