Before Prime Minister Harper drew attention to the importance of maternal, newborn and child health, the world was falling short on reducing child mortality and curbing maternal death. Thanks to the Muskoka Initiative and subsequent global action, maternal mortality rates are declining, and millions more children are celebrating their fifth birthday.

Our common goal has not yet been achieved, but it is within arm’s reach. That is why the Prime Minister is once again taking action to mobilize the world. Canada will host a high-level summit on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Toronto (May 28-30, 2014).

The Summit will focus on reducing the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children under five in developing countries. It will bring global leaders and Canadian experts together to galvanize support for the next phase of efforts and to ensure that maternal, newborn and child health remains a global priority.

Canada is a world leader in the global effort to reduce maternal and child mortality, and to improve the health of mothers and children in the world’s poorest countries. As part of the G8 Muskoka Initiative, Canada is providing $2.85 billion in funding between 2010 and 2015 to improve the health and save the lives of women and children in developing countries.

The Summit will be divided into three themes, one for each day: Delivering Results for Mothers and Children, Doing More Together Globally and Real Action for Women’s and Children’s Health. The agenda will include high-level keynote speeches and a mix of plenary and concurrent sessions. These sessions will focus on specific maternal, newborn and child health issues that need further support and must be prioritized in the final push to prevent maternal and child mortality. These issues include:

1. accelerating progress on maternal health;
2. reducing newborn mortality;
3. improving accountability by strengthening civil registration and vital statistics systems;
4. saving lives through immunization;
5. scaling up nutrition as a foundation for healthy lives; and
6. building new partnerships with the private sector to leverage innovation and financing.

The Summit will mark a significant opportunity to embed maternal, newborn and child health goals and targets in the post-2015 global development framework, and to ensure continued focus on and investment in these critical issues. Emphasis will be placed on creating new partnerships with the private sector, and on embracing new technologies and innovative approaches to achieve these goals.

During the past decade, focused global efforts have proved that significant progress is possible. The number of women who die each year during pregnancy or childbirth has dropped substantially from 543,000 deaths in 1990 to 287,000 in 2010. The global number of deaths among children under five has decreased from more than 12 million in 1990 to 6.6 million in 2012.

Despite these achievements, more work needs to be done. At the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Summit, Prime Minister Harper will invite Canadian stakeholders and experts, global leaders from developing countries, civil society, development donors, the private sector and foundations to work together, so that continued progress can be made. Together, we can eliminate the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children, and save the millions of lives that hang in the balance.

For more information on the summit, see the Saving Every Woman, Every Child website.