Countdown to 2015 conference will call for end to 10 million maternal and child deaths each year.

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Countdown to 2015 Maternal Newborn & Child Survival

A three-day conference on tracking global progress to reduce maternal, newborn and child deaths will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in April 2008..

Ministers, Parliamentarians and participants in the three day Countdown to 2015 gathering will convene to assess progress in providing essential health services for women and children in the 68 developing countries which account for 97% of maternal and child deaths worldwide.

According to the 2008 report Tracking Progress in Maternal, Newborn & Child Survival, due to be released in Cape Town, few of the 68 countries are making adequate progress to enable them to reach Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 on reducing maternal and child mortality.

Topics to be discussed include:

* high and equitable coverage of effective and high-impact interventions that save lives and improve the health of mothers and children

* initiatives to stop early marriage, early childbirth and other harmful practices

* strengthening of primary health care

* infrastructure development and human resources in...