Reuters reports that HHS Secretary Sebelius, following "closed-door talks in Geneva with health ministers from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), made up of 57 Muslim states," announced the countries had promised to reduce maternal mortality rates." According to Reuters, Islamic countries are "home to about half  the estimated 400,000 women worldwide who die in child birth each year."

According to Sebelius, meetings also included a discussion of the need for the countries to "ensure women's rights," Reuters reports. Sebelius also noted, "They were very receptive and eager to work on polio eradication, building health systems and better mother and child health," according to the news service.

"Earlier, Sebelius said in a speech to the [WHA] meeting that President Barack Obama's $63 billion six-year Global Health Initiative ... would expand U.S. programmes in the world's poorest countries," the news service continues, noting that improving maternal and child health remain top priorities of the initiative. The article includes quotes from Sebelius as well as comments by Spanish Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez, on behalf of the European Union (EU) (Nebehay, 5/17).

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