SPEECH BY H.E.

MARGARET KENYATTA THE FIRST

LADY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE
OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE GLOBAL FINANCING
FACILITY (GFF) IN SUPPORT OF EVERY WOMAN AND
EVERY CHILD WORKSHOP AT MOUNT KENYA SAFARI
CLUB, LAIKIPIA COUNTY ON 16TH NOVEMBER, 2015.

Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen,

I welcome you all to Kenya, a land of great beauty,

cultural diversity and extremely warm people.

I am greatly appreciative that Kenya is one of the Global

Financing Facility (GFF) front runner countries. We are also
hosting this important event for a cause which is close to
my heart; the health of mothers and children.
This resonates well with the Beyond Zero campaign
of which I am the patron.

GFF comes at an opportune time for Kenya when we are

accelerating our efforts to improve maternal and child
health outcomes and addressing the special needs of
young adults to make them healthy and productive. These
measures will enable Kenya to reap the full benefits of
its demographic diversity and divide.

Maternal deaths anywhere in the world are unacceptable

as they are largely preventable. Childbirth is supposed to
be the most joyous moment to a family and not a period of
loss, mourning and pain as is the case for some families in
Kenyaand other parts of the developing world.

Globally, there has been collective effort to stop maternal,

new born and child deaths. But much more still need to be
done.

As we bid goodbye to the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs) and
transit to Sustainable
Development
Goals (SDGs), it is worth highlighting the gains made so
far in maternal health.

Since 1990 maternal mortality has fallen by almost 50 per

cent, with Eastern Asia, Northern Africa and Southern Asia
attaining declines of almost two-thirds.

However, the proportion of mothers who do not survive

childbirth in developing countries is still 14 times higher
than in the developed world.

In addition, though more women are receiving antenatal

care, only half in developing countries receive the
recommended package of essential health services.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Given that most developing countries had not attained
the goals
of
the MDGs,
the new targets under
the
SDGs may appear unreachable. However, with political
goodwill,
partnerships
and
effective
financing
mechanisms, we can give all women and children equal
opportunity to give birth safely and improve the survival
of newborns.

At this years UN General Assembly, high level political

commitment was demonstrated by Heads of State and
Governments during the Secretary Generals launch of the
Global strategy for womens, childrens and adolescents
health. The African Union (AU) has also made great
strides to check maternal deaths.

In Kenya, the Government with other partners is

committed to ensuring that no woman should die
while giving life and that all Kenyan children will
survive their childhood.

Towards this end, the government introduced a policy to

offer free maternal health care at public facilities and
eliminated all user fee for primary healthcare services.

To complement these efforts, I launched The Beyond

Zero campaign which creates a platform for collective
action by public, the private sector, partners and
philanthropists
committed to reducing preventable
maternal and child deaths.

Only last week, I visited Mandera County which has one

of the highest numbers of maternal deaths in Kenya and
probably among the most unsafe places for a woman to
give birth. I handed over the 33rd mobile clinic fully
equipped to meet the needs of a widely sparse population.

I am happy that the delegation to Mandera included a host

of UN agencies, the World Bank and Ambassadors from
the European Union, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Most
of
these
International
agencies
have
on-going
development programs in Mandera.

It was great to see the strong momentum built by the

County Government of Mandera in conjunction with UN
Partners, the World Bank and the private sector. I am keen
to see similar action in the 15 counties in Kenya with the
highest burden of maternal and child mortality that
signed the joint communiqu committing to collective
action at a meeting I chaired in August 27, 2014.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to note that Kenya is evolving its
Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent
Health Investment Framework through an extensive
consultative process involving key stakeholders, especially
county governments, civil society, private sector and
development partners.

I look forward to the outcome of this learning event that

provides a platform for sharing country experiences and
exchange of best practices. I am also confident that
collectively we can make a difference for our women and
children.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Healthy women and children enable healthy economies,
political stability and shared prosperity. Investing in
women and children is a smart foundation for sustainable
development.

Finally, I wish you successful deliberations, a memorable

stay in Kenya and safe travel back home.

Thank you and God bless you.