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Maternal mortality and maternal health among indigenous women and adolescent girls

17 April 2018 • 1:15 – 2:30 pm EST
UN General Assembly Building

17 April 2018

13:15-14:30, UN Headquarters Conference Room 8, New York

The evidence from the available data on indigenous women’s maternal health tells us that across the globe, indigenous women and adolescent girls experience significantly worse maternal health outcomes than majority populations. Yet due to a lack of data this alarming situation is concealed preventing effective action to address it.

To help bring attention to this issue UNFPA, UNICEF, and UN Women have developed a fact sheet that brings together the available data on the maternal health status of indigenous women and adolescent girls, analyzing the barriers behind these huge disparities, and identifying actions that can be taken to close the gap. With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), States have committed to leave no one behind. Failure to act now will make them unachievable.

Please join us for the launch of this fact sheet to discuss how national governments and institutions, international organizations, and civil society can work together towards improved maternal health among indigenous women and adolescents girls, and help create a dialogue on closing the implementation gap for the achievement of the SDGs.

This event is hosted by UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women.

  • Moderator: Mariam Wallet, Chairperson of the UN permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
  • Panelists:
    • Benoit Kalasa, Director of Technical Division, UNFPA (speaking on behalf of UNFPA, UNICEF, and UN Women)
    • Gloria Ushigua, Coordinator of the Sápara women’s organisation Ashiñwaka, Ecuador
    • Carl Soderbergh, Director of Policy & Communications, Minority Rights Group International