APA-Pretoria (South Africa) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that securing the health of every woman, child and adolescent would improve the health and well-being of all humanity worldwide.
Speaking during a high-level meeting of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in the United States ahead of UN General Assembly, Ramaphosa said nearly 800 women died every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
He noted that 95 percent of the deaths are in low- and middle-income countries.
“Women, children and adolescents continue to face escalating challenges to their health and well-being,” Ramaphosa said, adding that securing their health would lift millions of people out of poverty and advance the cause of human progress.
This act alone would “help close the gap between women’s and men’s health,” Ramaphosa said.
The South African leader is in New York City to take part in the annual UN General Assembly this week.
NM/jn/APA