The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged a grant of US$1.5 billion over the next five years for maternal and child health. Melinda Gates, speaking at the currently-in-progress 'Women Deliver' conference, argued that, with recent warnings that women's and child mortality are the two Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) least likely to be met on current trends, the next few months are a critical window of opportunity to secure new global action.
Speaking of MDGs and conferences, the Myer Foundation Melanesia Program at the Lowy Institute is convening a conference next week, on 17-18 June, supported by AusAID and titled 'Advancing Innovative Development and Aid Strategies in the Asia-Pacific: Accelerating the Millennium Development Goals'.
The Lowy Interpreter will cover parts of the conference and any additional information, including video footage and the conference outcomes report, will be posted on the Lowy Institute website. For those interested in real-time updates, keep an eye on this next week.
