by Mandy Sugrue
By Tara Morazzini
October 24th is United Nations Day, a day that marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. It is also a day to reflect on the UN’s invaluable contribution to peace and common progress, to assess what we have accomplished and where we are headed.
What has been accomplished? Since 2000, we have seen unprecedented progress in reducing poverty-- there are now half a billion people living below the international poverty line. In addition, maternal mortality has been halved since 1990 and child death rates have fallen by more than 30%. This progress has been spurred by economic growth, policy shifts, and the global commitment to the MDGs, which constituted the most effective anti-poverty campaign in history.
Where are we headed? As UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon recently remarked, our world is more connected than ever before. The number of mobile phone subscriptions has risen from fewer than one billion to more than six billion, and four out of five new connections occur in the developing world. The Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda noted that these technologies offer significant potential for sustainable development.
At MAMA, we focus our efforts on MDGs 4 and 5, utilizing mobile technology specifically to improve the health of pregnant women, babies and young children. However, we recognize that the challenges of the post-2015 Development Agenda are interconnected and interdependent, and demand holistic and integrated solutions. Therefore, we believe mobile technology can be leveraged to synergize
a variety of development efforts such as finance, agriculture, women’s empowerment, and health services including: Maternal, child and newborn health; Family planning; HIV/AIDS; Tuberculosis; Pneumonia; and Immunizations.
The United Nations Foundation hosts several initiatives and campaigns that tackle these issues like Nothing But Nets, focusing on malaria prevention, FP2020, increasing effective family planning information, and Shot at Life’s goal to provide vaccines to children, just to name a few. Mobile is a common theme that runs throughout—Providing cost effective access that supports the work in these issue areas and helps meet the UN’s MDGs. A great example is The Measles Initiative which is using mobile technology to collect data on immunizations, a critical piece in their success story—over 700 million children vaccinated and a 78% reduction in measles deaths from 2008. MAMA works with initiatives like the mHealth Alliance to connect these dots between the important work of the United Nations and the effective use of mobile to support the achievement of their goals.
We are honored to celebrate UN Day this year, and look back at the incredible achievements made so far through the work of the development community and the power of mobile innovation. As we look towards the 2015 and 2030 benchmarks, we will continue to champion mobile technology as a powerful tool to take on the global challenges at a global scale.
October 24th is United Nations Day, a day that marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. It is also a day to reflect on the UN’s invaluable contribution to peace and common progress, to assess what we have accomplished and where we are headed.
What has been accomplished? Since 2000, we have seen unprecedented progress in reducing poverty-- there are now half a billion people living below the international poverty line. In addition, maternal mortality has been halved since 1990 and child death rates have fallen by more than 30%. This progress has been spurred by economic growth, policy shifts, and the global commitment to the MDGs, which constituted the most effective anti-poverty campaign in history.
Where are we headed? As UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon recently remarked, our world is more connected than ever before. The number of mobile phone subscriptions has risen from fewer than one billion to more than six billion, and four out of five new connections occur in the developing world. The Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda noted that these technologies offer significant potential for sustainable development.
At MAMA, we focus our efforts on MDGs 4 and 5, utilizing mobile technology specifically to improve the health of pregnant women, babies and young children. However, we recognize that the challenges of the post-2015 Development Agenda are interconnected and interdependent, and demand holistic and integrated solutions. Therefore, we believe mobile technology can be leveraged to synergize
a variety of development efforts such as finance, agriculture, women’s empowerment, and health services including: Maternal, child and newborn health; Family planning; HIV/AIDS; Tuberculosis; Pneumonia; and Immunizations.
The United Nations Foundation hosts several initiatives and campaigns that tackle these issues like Nothing But Nets, focusing on malaria prevention, FP2020, increasing effective family planning information, and Shot at Life’s goal to provide vaccines to children, just to name a few. Mobile is a common theme that runs throughout—Providing cost effective access that supports the work in these issue areas and helps meet the UN’s MDGs. A great example is The Measles Initiative which is using mobile technology to collect data on immunizations, a critical piece in their success story—over 700 million children vaccinated and a 78% reduction in measles deaths from 2008. MAMA works with initiatives like the mHealth Alliance to connect these dots between the important work of the United Nations and the effective use of mobile to support the achievement of their goals.
We are honored to celebrate UN Day this year, and look back at the incredible achievements made so far through the work of the development community and the power of mobile innovation. As we look towards the 2015 and 2030 benchmarks, we will continue to champion mobile technology as a powerful tool to take on the global challenges at a global scale.
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