Mexico City conference builds regional momentum on maternal health

June 2012

On June 5th and 6th, 2012, the Regional Task Force on Maternal Mortality Reduction (Grupo de Trabajo Regional para la Reducción de la Mortalidad Materna, or GTR), for which FCI serves as Secretariat, collaborated with Women Deliver and other global health partners to hold a regional consultation in Mexico City. This conference, “Maternal Health in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Unfinished Agenda,” brought together more than 200 policy makers, health professionals, academics, representatives from regional civil society organizations, donors, international organizations, private businesses, and other global and regional stakeholders to discuss strategies for improving maternal health and reproductive health throughout the region.

The conference provided a forum for strengthening political commitment to women’s reproductive health in Latin America and the Caribbean, with an emphasis on maternal mortality reduction. Its agenda, available (like all conference sessions) in both English and Spanish, was designed to facilitate discussion of success stories and ongoing challenges faced by countries in the region.

Recommendations and reports from this meeting will be presented to global policymakers, including the UN Secretary General, to contribute a regional perspective to global efforts to reduce maternal mortality. The results of the conference will help shape the agenda for the Third Women Deliver Global Conference, which will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on in May 2013.