Addis Ababa, October 19, 2009-In its latest efforts to accelerate the reduction of maternal and infant mortality across Africa, the African Union, at the 4th Session of the AU Conference of Ministers of Health (CAMH4) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 7, 2009, teamed up with AU member states, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), UN agencies and other organizations and launched the CARMMA—the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa, under the theme Africa Cares: No Woman should Die While Giving Life!

CARMMA is part of the implementation of the Plan of Action on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights--Maputo Plan of Action—approved by African Health Ministers in Maputo, Mozambique, in September 2006.

The Campaign’s main objective is to accelerate the availability and use of globally accessible quality services, particularly those related to sexual and reproductive health germane to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality

Some 49 African countries, 38 multilateral and bi-lateral agencies, private institutions, the RECs as well as representatives of civil society attended the meeting in Mozambique.

As part of its activities, the African Union Commission (AU), in collaboration with the UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO has launched CARMMA in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi, Rwanda, and Nigeria, and is expected to be launched in other countries. Rwanda launched the event on October 7, 2009.

So far, Ghana, Senegal, Chad and Tunisia have been selected to launch CARMMA through February, 2010. Countries were selected based on a number of criteria that include high maternal mortality rates and lowest gender development indexes; strong political commitment through leadership and resource allocation; consideration for regional balance; and strong UNFPA offices with resources to actively support country-driven efforts in accelerating maternal mortality reduction.

As part of its efforts on high-level advocacy and support for the Campaign, the AU has encouraged member states to develop their own strategies, mobilize key stakeholders even at community level, and launch CARMMA.

Since 2006, the AU has advanced policies and strategies on social issues, including the Plan of Action on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (Maputo Plan of Action); Continental Policy Framework on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights; African Regional Nutrition Strategy (2005-2015); and the Africa Health Strategy (2007-2015). The efforts were endorsed by the AU leadership.

The AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Adv. Bience P. Gawanas, has urged the regional economic communities, UN agencies as well as the Global Leadership Group on Maternal Mortality to fully support the Campaign within the context of the Maputo Plan of Action: “What we need to do is to translate our care and wish for the well-being of African Women into concerted, individual and collective action”, she stated in her Forward for the CARMMA strategic document.