Tunisia will be the first North African country launching the CAMPAIGN FOR ACCELERATING THE REDUCTION
OF MATERNAL MORTALITY IN AFRICA: REGIONAL CONFERENCE NOVEMBER 24th and 25th in TUNIS

Tunisia will be the first North African country to launch CARMMA with the aim of sharing the country’s experience in reducing maternal mortality with other countries in Africa. Tunisia is known for its progressive policies towards women’s rights, the capacity to promote the status of women and improving physical and financial access of the population to basic health services as of the early 1970’s until the present in addition to its active role in South-South cooperation in population and development.

Maternal and newborn mortality rates are sensitive indicators of overall health care system performance and can be used to monitor general health gains in the population. However, these deaths pose one of the most serious challenges to achieve the MDG 5 by 2015, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa where 1 out of 13 women is at risk of dying from obstetrical causes compared to 1 woman out of 4000 in high income countries.
During  the fourth Conference of  Health Ministers of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (4-8 May 2009), the commitment to CARMMA was reaffirmed in an action strategy summarized under the theme "Universal Access to Quality Services: Improve Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health".
This regional conference will be an opportunity to build a consensus around approaches and mechanisms of effective and comprehensive south- south cooperation in the area of Reproductive Health and Maternal mortality programs.
More than 150 participants from 20 countries and international and regional organisations will attend the event and be present the 24th and 25th November in the Golden Tulip Hotel – El Mechtel.
The opening ceremony will be done the 24th November from 09.00 To 09.45 a.m. and followed by a press conference at 11.00 a.m.
The closing ceremony will lead to the proclamation and adoption of the « Tunis Declaration ».