Safe Motherhood South Asia Conference Lahore March 24, 1990

The Safe Motherhood South Asia Conference, being held in Pakistan at Lahore from 24th to 28th March, 1990, is a link in the global effort to put the spotlight on the scale of needless human tragedy and on the lives of child bearing mothers. It has been sponsored by International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and cosponsored by the World Bank. the UNDP, UNFPA. UNICEF, WHO, the Population Council and Family Care International. PAASBAN, the Family Planning Association of Pakistan, has been asked by this consortium of sponsors to organize this Conference. The Conference is being held in cooperation with the Government of Pakistan.

The Conference will be attended by the high ranking governmental and non-governmental representatives from India. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives as well as the representatives of Regional and International NGOs and the Co - Sponsoring Agencies.

SHARED GLOBAL CONCERN
Two major conferences held in Kenya in 1987 initiated global concern on the need for Safe Motherhood, Better Health for Women and Children through Family Planning. Consequently through a series of Conferences in various countries, such as Indonesia, Brazil and Jordan, regional focus has been systematically build up and attention given to the problem.

DEVELOPING AN ASIAN STRATEGY FOR 1990s
The Safe Motherhood South Asia Conference is the first ever to be held in South Asia. In a region where six out of ten of all maternal deaths in the world occur,
where the lifetime risks to a woman of dying from a pregnancy related cause is1 in 38, It is appropriate that the challenge of working out a better future for others
is addressed.

The Conference will examine this needless human tragedy in its many dimensions and endeavor to make Motherhood, if not totally safe, safer in the Region.

OBJECTIVES
Increase awareness of women\'s reproductive health in the region. Stimulate advocacy for Safe Motherhood and Better Health through Family Planning among governments, non-governmental organizations and communities. Involve media in dissemination of information of Safe Motherhood. Identify actions and strategies to promote reproductive health in the region. Formulate action plans and mobilize resources.

HIGHLIGHTS
The focus of the Conference is to share the concern over the silent tragedy of maternal and infant deaths. 1 out of 10 infants die in their first year 296000 women die in South Asia alone from maternity related causes each year. These deaths are preventable. There is a need to draw attention in South Asia to this tragedy, and mobilize action at national and regional levels to arrest it.

IPPF
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), headquartered in London, is the world\'s leading voluntary organization engaged in family planning. As a Federation, through a worldwide network of 123 national affiliates, this international institution has promoted family planning as a basic human right and sought acceptance of the need for a balance between the population of the world and its resources. In 1985 IPPF won the United National Population Award.
The first ever Conference on the subject of Motherhood is a historic event particularly for Pakistan which has been selected to host it. It is in this context that Pakistan Post Office has decided to commemorate the occasion through issue of a commemorative postage stamp of Rs. 5/- denomination on the SAFE MOTHER-HOOD and adopted a slogan "SAVE MOTHERS LIVES" on the stamp.

Contributed by: SAFE MOTHERHOOD SOUTH ASIA CONFERENCE OFFICE, LAHORE