Aga Khan commends Canada on leadership

President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete meets His Royal Highness The Aga Khan at Royal York Hotel in Toronto Canada. The two leaders then held talks on various programmes that The Aga Khan Foundation is doing in Tanzania, including health and education.  PHOTO | STATE HOUSE 

By The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

• The founder of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) made the remarks in a speech at the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Summit in Toronto, Canada –a three-day high level gathering of heads of state and top health officials, organised by Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper.

Toronto. His Highness the Aga Khan has praised Canada’s global leadership in efforts to improve maternal, neonatal and child health and stressed the importance of innovative and community-based approaches in meeting the challenge which he described as “one of the highest priorities on the global development agenda”.

 

The founder of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) made the remarks in a speech at the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Summit in Toronto, Canada –a three-day high level gathering of heads of state and top health officials, organised by Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper.

“Leadership and partnership – those are words that come quickly to mind as I salute our hosts today – and as I greet the distinguished leaders and partners in this audience,” said the Aga Khan. “I am here, as well, because of my enormous respect for the leadership of the Government of Canada in addressing this challenge,” he added. The Summit, “Saving Every Mother, Saving Every Child: Within Arm’s Reach”, brings together a number of partners in the global fight to address maternal, newborn and child health in developing countries. It follows the June 2010-G8 summit (held in Muskoka, Ontario), when Canada led G8 and non-G8 countries to commit CAD $7.3bn (for 2010 to 2015) to MNCH.

Speaking at the meeting President Jakaya Kikwete said “I am personally committed to see acceleration in interventions, more accountability and better results with regard to women’s and children’s health delivery by 2015 and beyond.”

Tanzania, being one of the beneficiaries of the programme, has already introduced a Reduction of Maternal, New Born and Child Deaths (RMNCH) scorecard which will track each region’s progress in the said items.  The scorecard will help accelerate MDGs number four and five. MDG 4 is about reducing under-five mortality rate by two-thirds, while MDG 5 is on improving maternal health.

Mr Kikwete said what is required in the drive now is scaling up interventions –and commitment to continue increasing health budgets. “We will continue to work closely with partners and friend of Tanzania in this endeavour,” said Kikwete praising the recent introduction of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Score card