Former Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, has been named as the African spokesperson for the World Health Organisation (WHO’s) Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH).

The partnership is an organ of WHO, which mission is to support the global health community to work successfully towards achieving MDGs 4 and 5, by enhancing partners’ interaction and using their comparative advantages to arrive at its vision of a world where all women and children receive the care they need to live healthy and productive lives.

Professor Osotimehin’s appointment is coming against the background of the fact that the theme of this year’s African Union Summit of Heads of States is "Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development."

Added to this is the fact that the UN MDG Summit is taking place this year, based on which the United Nations Secretary-General has launched a campaign to improve the health of women and children globally.

In this position, Professor Osotimehin is expected, among others, to deploy his strong technical expertise in health and strong understanding of national and regional political environment to advocate at various venues for health commitments and to undertake one-on-one sessions to bring policy makers into the maternal and child health process.