“DECISION 26
Safe Motherhood
The General Assembly,
Concerned that as a result of pregnancy and childbirth
more than 500, 000 women die every year
and many millions more suffer from pain and disability for the rest of their
lives,
Aware that almost all of the death, disease and
disability resulting from pregnancy and childbirth takes place in Africa, Asia
and Latin America, and that the risk of dying in pregnancy and childbirth is
about 100 times greater in “developing” than “developed”
countries,
Realising that the majority disabilities could be
prevented by of these deaths, diseases and the implementation of existing
knowledge and appropriate interventions,
Appreciating that the interventions will need to be
wide-ranging and varied because of the many different causes, direct and
indirect, of the problems resulting from pregnancy and childbirth (including
inadequate access to and use of educational, employment, financial,
nutritional, family planning, preventive and curative health services),
Recognising that improving the health of women and making pregnancy and childbirth safer
will have a profound effect on families and communities and will make a major
contribution to development,
Aware that governments, inter-governmental and
nongovernmental organisations have joined forces through the “Safe Motherhood
Initiative” with the aim of decreasing maternal mortality by at least half
by the year 2000,
Realising that appropriate health promotion and
disease prevention activities during pregnancy and childbirth also need to be
assured for women in industrialised
countries,
Cognizant of a number of Resolutions and
Recommendations previously adopted by the General Assembly which have an
important bearing on the health of girls
and women, notably those focusing on Women in Development, Primary Health Care and
CHILD ALIVE,
Aware of the many diverse activities that Red Cross –
and Red Crescent Societies are already undertaking which will make a positive
contribution to improving, both directly and indirectly, the health and
well-being of women,
Urges the Secretary General to reaffirm once the
commitment of the League to improving the educational status and health of girls and women
through broad-based development programmes which will empower women to articulate and act upon their needs,
Requests all National Societies to strengthen and
develop their existing activities and links with other organisations, in order
to contribute more effectively to the Safe Motherhood Initiative through
general activities that will improve the health of girls
and women, and through specific
activities which support national programmes to improve the services for women before, during and after pregnancy and
childbirth,
Requests the Secretary General to take a strong
mobilising and coordinating role, to ensure that National Societies are
informed about the magnitude of the problem, its causes and solutions; to help
identify possible activities that National Societies could carry out, based on
their existing programmes, capacity and commitments; to assist with the identification
and mobilisation of appropriate financial and other resources needed to support
such activities; and to maintain close collaboration and communication with the
World Health Organization and other inter-governmental and nongovernmental
organisations involved with the Safe Motherhood Initiative,
Appeals to all National Societies to endeavour that
sufficient human, financial and other resources are available to develop and
sustain the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ involvement with the
Safe Motherhood Initiative”.
“DECISION 33
Women in
Red Cross/Red Crescent Development
The General Assembly,
Recalling the Decision of the VIth General Assembly in
1987 which requested the League “to draw up a plan of action to safeguard
that the resources and potential of women
can be fully utilized to the benefit of development work in the Red Cross/Red
Crescent”,
Further recalling Resolution No. XV of the XXIIIrd
International Conference of the Red Cross in 1977 in which Governments and
National Societies ar8 urged to “raise the status of women socially and economically by providing
opportunities for learning and leadership”,
Noting with satisfaction that the Henry Dunant
Institute in collaboration with the League Secretariat conducted a study on the
role of Women in the Red Cross/Red
Crescent in which almost one hundred National Societies participated,
Mindful of the fact that numerous National Societies
part icipat ing in the study on Women in
the Red Cross/Red Crescent registered dissatisfaction with the current level of
female participation,
Taking into consideration the recommendations from the
Women in Development Seminar arranged by
the Nordic Red Cross Societies in Norway, June 1989,
Endorses the Plan of Act ion on women in Red Development presented by the
Secretary General determination to realize its proposals,
Cross/Red Crescent and expresses its
Acknowledges in particular the need for concrete
policies and sustained commitments to strengthen the role of women in Red Cross/Red Crescent development,
Urges National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies:
– to respond to the needs of women in all services and training programmes,
– to ensure that women
assume a legitimate share of responsibility in determining priorities and
implementing policies and programmes,
– to create a favourable environment for the
advancement of women
in managerial and decision-making positions,
– to share with each other and the League information,
support and financial assistance towards the ultimate goal of attaining equal opportunities
for men and women in all Red Cross/Red
Crescent work,
Urges the League in cooperation with the ICRC to
submit to the Council of Delegates in 1991 a report on the results achieved
within the components of the Movement in cooperation with the Henry Dunant
Institute,
Requests the Secretary General:
– to initiate and coordinate fund-raising efforts for
the implementation of the Plan of Action,
– to ensure that League-coordinated disaster relief
and development programmes take into account women‘s
resources and needs, in particular in implementing the strategic Work Plan of
the League for the 90’s,
– to initiate and coordinate the financing and
organisation of regional workshops that will draw up regional action plans for
the advancement of women,
– to design and implement a strategy to increase the
number of competent women in management
and senior delegate positions, whereby the Secretariat may serve as a model for
National Societies,
– to present progress reports on the implementation of
the Plan of Action to each session of the Executive Council between the session
of the General Assembly.
- One
woman mentioned in context of new agreement ICRC/League:
“DECISION 9
Agreement between the ICRC and the League
The General Assembly,
Ratifies the Agreement between the ICRC and the
League, upon the recommendation of the Executive Council, and
Congratulates the Chairman, Mrs. S. Spiljak, and the members of the
League-ICRC Working Party.”
Two women elected to the Finance Commission:
- Mrs
Ebtisam Abdel Wahab Farag, Egyptian RC
- Mrs.
Izabela Gutfeter, Polish RC
A woman elected Chairman of the Youth Commission:
- Mrs.
Susan Douglas, Fiji RC
