Rwanda has been recognised for its significant progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 which concern reduction of child and maternal deaths.

This was during a meeting organised by the 2014 Partners Forum that ended yesterday in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The report, released at the meeting, dubbed the Success Factors for Women’s and Children’s health report, 2014 commended Rwanda for making steady progress towards achieving these two goals.

Rwanda was specifically  commended for mobilising action across the society and using data to drive decisions.

Other countries highlighted in the report are Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Peru and Vietnam.

The report is done through the Success Factors Studies, a collaboration of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), the World Bank, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Alliance for Health Policy and System Research.

Dr Carole Presern, the Executive Director of PMNCH, said a better understanding of how some countries have been able to prevent maternal and child deaths can inform all partners’ strategies to accelerate progress for women’s and children’s health.

"Sustained political will and strong partnerships across society can save lives and set a way forward for sustainable health and development,” Dr Presern said.

Two other publications were officially launched at the 2014 Partners Forum; the ‘Every Newborn Action Plan’, and the ‘Countdown to 2015 Report for 2014.’

2015 is the year set by the United Nations for countries to meet the MDGs.

Opening the conference, Graça Machel, who chairs the PMNCH, making her first public appearance since the death of her husband Nelson Mandela, endorsed the vision of ‘Every Newborn Action Plan’.

"This plan demonstrates that together we can achieve a world in which there are no preventable deaths of newborns or stillbirths, where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth celebrated, and women, babies and children survive, thrive and reach their full potential,” Machel said.

She said women and children have not been covered adequately.

"We must ensure that all women, adolescent girls, children and newborns, no matter where they live, are able to fulfil their rights to health and education,” she said.

The 2014 Partners Forum attracted more than 800 leaders and public health experts, and top on the agenda was to review new data and call for accelerated action to improve maternal, newborn and child health.