For Immediate Release:	January 5, 2001
Sponsor Organization:	Global Health Council and others
“MOVING FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION”
Worldwide, every minute of every day, a woman dies of pregnancy-related complications. Nearly 600,000 women die each year. Most of these deaths can be prevented. Health programs have contributed to dramatic declines in infant mortality in the past 30 years, yet maternal deaths have not declined. A mother’s death can increase the risk of death for her children by up to 50%. Maternal deaths not only affect families, but communities and societies. The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood is moving from awareness to action by devoting a day in January to the launching of an advocacy agenda for safe motherhood. The Alliance has been working to create awareness about the need to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for women and infants around the world. Similar to our partner organizations in other countries, we are forming an advocacy network whose purpose is to make safe motherhood a priority of US policymakers, international organizations, and the private sector. Scheduled speakers include: Nils Daulaire, MD, MPH, President and CEO, Global Health Council; Khama Rogo, MD, PhD, Vice President, Ipas; Joyce Sheffield, President and Founder, Family Care International; Adrienne Allison, Maternal and Neonatal Health (JHPIEGO); Joyce Holfeld, Senior Policy Advisor, Population, Health and Nutrition, USAID; Christopher Bilkey, Vice President of Global Women’s Health, Pharmacia, Corp.; Mary Ellen Stanton, USAID; Marjorie Koblinsky, Executive Director, NGO Networks for Health; Deborah Maine, PhD, Program Director, Averting Maternal Health and Disability, (AMDD), Columbia University School of Public Health; Dianne Sherman, Associate Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications, Save the Children; Peggy Curlin, President, CEDPA; Representatives Joe Crowley, Connie Morella, and Carolyn Kilpatrick. When: Monday, January 8, 2001 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Where: American Association for the Advancement of Science 1200 New York Ave, NW, 2nd Floor (corner of 12th & H Street) Washington, DC Co-sponsors: ADRA, CEDPA, Communication Consortium Media Center (CCMC), CARE, Family Care International, Global Health Council, Ipas, Maternal and Neonatal Health (JHPIEGO), Pharmacia, Save the Children, U.S. Committee for UNFPA. # # #