Date: 07/05/2009

Source: The Presidency

Title: SA: Tshabalala-Msimang: Speech by the South African Minister in the Presidency at the the fourth session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Health, Addis Ababa

It is indeed an honour for me to have been invited to be part of this august conference of the African Union (AU) Ministers of Health after having served for close to a decade in this portfolio.

I am particularly humbled by the honour which the AU heads of state and government bestowed on me, to serve the continent in a capacity of Goodwill Ambassador and Champion for the improvement of maternal and child health in Africa, beyond 2015.

No doubt this assignment is indeed recognition of my modest contribution which I have made to the development of maternal and child health in many capacities over a few decades of my professional life having served as a Minister of health and just working as a doctor.

It is a particular pleasure for me to have been part of the development and finalisation of a number of AU documents and I will tell you why I am mentioning them, they are very important, they continue to guide the activities of the continent on this subject.

These include among others:
* the Continental Framework on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Africa (2005)
* the Maputo plan of action (2006) for its implementation
* the plan of action on the family (2004)
* the AU solemn declaration on gender equality (2007)
* the African Charter on the Rights of Women (2003)
* the AU gender policy (2009)
* the African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child
(1999)
* African nutritional strategy 2005 to 2015
* the declaration and common position on Africa fit for children
(2001)
* the call for accelerated action (2007)
* the social policy framework for Africa (2008)
* the Africa health strategy (2007) and its plan for implementation (2007)
* the recommendations to reduce maternal and child mortality in Africa (2008).

Whilst this list is not exhaustive, it does attest to the plethora of resource which the AU has developed over the years and it is really something that we have to be proud of.

What needs to be done is implementation and therefore in this regard it is going to be necessary that we indeed advocate for adequate resources to be set aside for us to implement and accelerate all the instruments we put in place. This is to allow us to move closer to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) four and five.

Now as the Minister in the Presidency I cannot but not divorce also MDG one because as you know poverty in Africa bears the face of a woman and therefore if we are to talk about MDG four, five and six we cannot forget MDG one. It is absolutely critical that we always remember this.

In this regard I would like to say that with the current economic meltdown, it is very important to make sure that women are represented in the discussion that tries to seek for solutions in this regard. It makes me said when I see G20 and I see one women. When men meet to talk about issues that really concern women so that we can come closer to MDG four and five, there are hardly women.

It is important that we remember that when we talk about MDG four and five we are talking about all these things because at the forefront as we all know that; you educate, you feed you nature a woman; you nature a family and therefore you nature a community.

I would like to pledge my commitment to support Africa in Advocacy on behalf of the AU commission with an aim that we accelerate the implementation of all the good strategies in the continent.

It is my hope that they will not only reduce the deaths of mothers and children but will improve the quality of life in Africa. Finally I would like to say that any nation's development is gauged by the way it cares for its women and children. Let Africa be found to be doing the best it can to improve the health and welfare of the women and children of Africa.

I thank you