Opening Session: Maternal and child health initiative in the Region: What’s it all about?

• RD/WHO/EMRO
• RD/UNICEF/MENARO
• RD/UNFPA/ASRO

Session 1: The global and regional situation:

Co-Chairs: Minister of Health, UAE and Regional Director UNICEF

• Global progress towards MDGs 4 & 5: Dr F. Bustreo
• Regional overview of maternal and child health: Dr H. Madi
• Successful experiences in meeting the challenges in maternal, neonatal and child health in MDGs priority countries in the Region: Country presentations, Ministers of Health of Egypt, Morocco and Yemen
• Review of constraints, challenges and lessons learned: Dr Carole Presern
• Discussion

Session 2 : Scaling up

Co-Chairs: Minister of Health, Oman and Regional Director UNFPA

• Packages of essential interventions: Professor Z. Bhutta
• Cost and impact of scaling up interventions: Dr Elizabeth Mason/Dr Mikael Ostergren
• Discussion

Session 3: Country accelerated plans

Co-Chairs: Minister of Health, Lebanon and Professor Z. Bhutta

• Country acceleration plans for MDGs 4 and 5 – an overview
• Ministerial panel: Progress made with special emphasis on human resources, commodities, and accountability

Session 4 : next steps:

Co-Chairs: Minister of Health, Jordan and Regional Director WHO

• Follow-up in countries, coordination mechanisms, partnerships and partnering

Inauguration Session

• Opening remarks: Regional Directors of UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO
• Address by UN Messenger of Peace and Chairperson of Dubai Health Care City Authority HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai
• Film: “Saving lives of mothers and children” rising to the challenge

Session 1: Highlighting the Need

Co-Chairs: Minister of Health, Tunisia and Dr F. Bustreo

• Film: ‘Why did Mrs X Die’?
• Outcome of the Technical Forum: Minister of Health, Afghanistan
• Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region:
  Rising to the Challenge - A plan to scale up, Dr S. Ben Yahmed

Session 2: Together we can rise to the challenge

• Statements and commitments from Ministers of Health of the 10 high-burden countries
• Statements and commitments by partners/donors: USAID, Qatar Foundation, Gulf Cooperation Council, GAVI

Session 3: Closing Ceremony: Forging the change - Commitment to maternal and child health

• Dubai Declaration
• Closing and Group Photo