Direction (06 - 15):
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given.
Certain words / phrases have been given in bold to help you locate them
while answering some of the questions.
"What gets measured gets done" - a mantra we believe in and will continue to
repeat. The accountability agenda for women's and children's health emerged
because ten years into the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), amelioration on women and children's health was lagging
far behind. Since 1990 maternal deaths have been cut by almost half; some
17,000 fewer children die each day. This information is critical to
measuring progress- without it we cannot hold ourselves to account. An
expert suggested that "the progress of any county depends on its women and
children and they should be given priority for their health. Data related
to their health, birth and death must be preserved as accountability".
Yes, investments were being made nationally and globally, but it was almost
impossible to know how much was being invested, and with what results. The
Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's
Health, chaired by President Kikwete of Tanzania and Prime Minister Harper
of Canada, shifted this landscape. The Commission was fundamentally
grounded on the premise that every woman and every child has the right to
survive, and live with dignity.
Believing that the world must do better for its women and children, the
Commission put forth few ambitious recommendations - for better
accountability, results and better resources. This year's report highlights
specific accomplishments from last year towards realizing these
recommendations, as well as the cumulative achievements since 2011. The
recommendations spurred action in countries on some long-neglected basics -
such as strengthening health systems to track every birth and every death.
More countries are able to track resources spent, to register births, and
to prevent future deaths by understanding why systems have failed women in
childbirth. With strong country leadership and the generous support of many
partners, notably the governments of Canada, Germany, Norway and the United
Kingdom, accountability is making a difference in the lives of some of the
poorest and most vulnerable women and children in the world. Accountability
has truly moved from the outskirts to the centre of the agenda for women's
and children's health, and for health and development more broadly. We have
witnessed important progress in country level accountability. Globally, the
need for a strong accountability framework has taken root, and is
non-negotiable in the emerging vision for the Sustainable Development
Goals. The new Global Strategy for Women and Children's Health envisages an
accountability framework that builds on the successes and insights of the
Commission on 'Information and Accountability', recognizing the important
contributions made by the independent Expert Review Group.
In this year of transition between the MDGs and the SDGs, we have many
insights on accountability, particularly on how to strengthen country level
and social level accountability. We must continue to track the money,
measure our progress and take urgent actions to cease the deaths and
improve the lives of women and children. The need to ensure global
reporting, oversight and accountability led to the establishment of the
Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's
Health.
The accountability commission provides an update on implementing the 10
ambitious yet practical recommendations to fast-track improvements in
women's and children's health. It also sets out the successes and lessons
in implementing accountability frameworks; this information will be used to
inform the revised Global Strategy for Women and Children's Health from
2016 to 2030.
The reports from more than 30 countries show solid examples of
strengthening national accountability. The commission has taken root, with
68 countries deictic the illustrations of answering
mechanisms through Country Accountability Frameworks (CAFs) that received a
first phase of catalytic funding. A number of countries made progress
despite facing serious challenges due to natural disasters, conflict or the
Ebola epidemic throughout many countries. The Accountability Framework of
nearly all the countries has prioritized maternal death surveillance and
response (MDSR), civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS). One
significant finding is that each of these work streams perform better when
the two are done together. Countries continue to improve the collection of
data on the recommended indicators. Significant strides have also been made
in tracking budgets, resources and resource flows for reproductive,
maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH).
More than 65 countries have adopted the methodology of System of Health
Accounts 2011, and now 33 countries have data (compared to 18 last year),
leading to a better understanding of domestic expenditures on health, and
better harmonization of partners' financial and technical support.
Development aid for women and children's health is also improving at the
global level. After considerable work by the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), the policy maker for RMNCH expenditures
was used for the first time by OECD-DAC members to better capture data on
aid disbursements. The commission for accountability was set up only for
'women and children' because they bear the greatest health burdens and
risks in humanitarian contexts.
Compacts and similar partnership agreements are improving coordination
among development partners to make health aid more effective, and civil
society engagement in compacts and annual review processes is a positive
trend. Civic society is uniquely positioned to vestige
progress on country commitments. IT also contributes to
greater transparency, advocacy and action, particularly with respect to
government spending on RMNCH priorities.
Parliaments have strengthened their roles in promoting and supporting
RMNCH. At their General Assembly in March 2015, the Inter-Parliamentary
Union discussed progress in implementing their landmark resolution of
2012,13 and exchanged experiences on relevant legislative action and budget
allocations. Key achievements from the past year are highlighted and more
detailed information on progress across the Commission's recommendations
across 75 countries are discussed. It is clear that the demand of the
commission of women and children health accountability continues to grow
for independent, mutual and social achievements for the countries and for
the global health and development arena. The accountability framework for
the new Global Strategy for Women and Children's Health is a key vehicle to
sustain the momentum and investments towards these achievements.
The ambitious recommendations added to the commission were spurred on
which of the following action?