Public and private health stakeholders working together to improve health in the developing world

NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Promoting health among the world's poorest populations brought leaders from various nations, the global health community, biopharmaceutical companies, the media and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) together today, highlighting the power of partnerships in advancing the global public health agenda.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President H.E. Sylvie Lucas hosted, and CARE and the Global Health Progress initiative co-sponsored, an evening reception following today's special event on "Philanthropy and the Global Public Health Agenda." Key representatives from the public and private sector gathered to discuss the critical role multi-sector partnerships play in combating global disease and poverty -- from promoting maternal and child health, to fighting HIV and AIDS. The meeting and reception were designed to foster discussions on strengthening existing partnerships and creating new strategies to progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs.

"We are all in this together," said Chris Singer, President of the International Section at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). "Promoting and strengthening partnerships to improve global health is something research-based biopharmaceutical companies remain strongly committed to."

Special issue and discussion tables were also featured at the reception, giving attendees the opportunity to learn more about global public health topics. The issues addressed included access to medicines, electronic and mobile health, the importance of ending fistula, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, the Millennium Villages and Millennium Promise, maternal, newborn and child health, neglected tropical disease, nutrition, public health capacity building, and vaccines.

"Innovative partnerships are crucial to CARE's work improving health in the world's poorest communities," said Cathy Woolard, CARE's Executive Vice President of Global Advocacy and External Relations. "We need to increase collaboration and collective action across the global health community. Urgent and complex issues such as safe motherhood, a topic CARE is particularly committed to, require strong collaborations within a global coalition of public, private and NGO entities to integrate and scale up successful models."

The Global Health Progress initiative brings research-based biopharmaceutical companies and global health leaders together to improve health in the developing world. CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Building on its 50-year history in maternal and child health, CARE's Mothers Matter initiative aims through partnerships to make pregnancy and delivery safe for 30 million women in 10 countries by 2015.

To learn more, visit www.care.org and www.globalhealthprogress.org.

SOURCE Global Health Progress