Malaysia To Host Global Women Deliver Conference 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will host the three-day Third Global Women Deliver Conference scheduled to begin on May 28, next year, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here. Launched in 2007, the New York-based Women Deliver is a global advocacy organisation which works to reduce maternal mortality and achieve universal access to reproductive health. A consultant for Women Deliver, Dr Raj Karim, said Malaysia was the first Asian country to be given the honour to host the event which was expected to attract 5,000 delegates. "The main agenda of this conference is to enhance awareness about maternity issues, working globally to generate political commitment and financial investment towards reducing maternal mortality and achieving universal access to reproductive health," she told a press conference here Thursday. Also present was Women Deliver founder and president Jill Sheffield. Sheffield said that awareness on maternity issues was still low among young women globally. Next year's conference, she noted, was an ideal platform to conceive solutions and ideas on how to reduce maternal mortality. Each year, more than 358,000 women die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth-related complications globally, she said. "About 99 per cent of these deaths occur in the developing world. The vast majority are entirely preventable," added Sheffield. -- BERNAMA