President Halonen in New York: We must promote maternal and child health

A maternity package is the nation's welcoming gift to a newborn baby, according to President Halonen. Photo: Anne Saint-Pierre

On Thursday, 25 September President of the Republic Tarja Halonen co-hosted an international partnership event on maternal and child health together with the Presidents of Tanzania and Chile. "By investing in public health care and health education, many countries have managed to reduce infant mortality," she emphasized. The partnership event was arranged in connection with the fourth and fifth Millennium Development Goals.

As an example of successful work aimed at improving mothers' and children's welfare, President Halonen described Finland's family clinics. To illustrate her point she displayed a "maternity package", which mothers began receiving while Finland was still a poor country.

The maternity package was one way to bring women into the health care system, since in order to receive one they had to visit a clinic. President Halonen called the maternity package "the nation's welcoming gift to a newborn baby". People attending the event considered the maternity package an interesting and unique success story.

"Use paternal leave!" President Halonen displays the contents of a maternity package to President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania. Photo: Anne Saint-Pierre

Poverty sets limits

President Halonen underlined the importance of developing health care systems. Maternal and child health can be promoted by investing in health care at the national and international level and by guaranteeing everyone's right to adequate health care.

Poverty sets limits on health and welfare services, which reduces women's possibilities to make healthy choices in their everyday lives, President Halonen said.

In New York, President Halonen also attended the high-level meeting on Africa's development needs and co-chaired a roundtable on Monday, 22 September. At the high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals on Thursday, 25 September, President Halonen co-chaired a roundtable on environmental sustainability.

President Halonen with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile. Photo: Anne Saint-Pierre

President Halonen was one of the main speakers at forum on decent work arranged by the International Labour Organization on 22 September. In addition she participated in a meeting of women leaders convened by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as well as the Forbes Executive Women's Forum and a special event focusing on equality issues.

The opening week programme also included a reception hosted by President George W. Bush, the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting hosted by former President Bill Clinton and bilateral meetings with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and several heads of state.

Speech at the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Speech at a forum arranged by the International Labour Organization