Over the past decade, nearly 58 million girls were married before the age of 18. Child marriage is a truly global problem: In Africa, 42 percent of girls are married before turning 18, but it is also prevalent in parts of Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean (in South Asia, for instance, 46 percent of girls are married). Child brides often start childbearing early, leading to complications and producing high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality among girls in developing countries. Married girls are often forced to leave school, negatively affecting their ability to work and provide for their families. The panelists will describe current policies and programs working to support young women and delay marriage whenever possible.

In remote Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, rare species, virgin rain forests, and rich bio-diversity abound, as do abject poverty and steady destruction of natural habitat. But two women, initially interested in researching threatened species, saw the complex and interconnected relationships between the health of the forest and its inhabitants and developed programs that are successfully and sustainably tackling both health and environment issues.

A recent Atlantic article detailed the abuse of an Indian woman, by a health worker, as she undergoes a caesarean section. While strides have been made in providing access to maternal health care services – transportation, lower costs, education, etc. – there is evidence that quality of care, and perceptions of that quality, may be an equally important barrier

Maternal mortality causes 56,000 deaths every year in India, accounting for 20 percent of maternal deaths around the world, said John Townsend, vice president and director of the Population Council’s reproductive health program. It is a key battleground for maternal health advocates. But maternal health is sometimes eclipsed by other major health and development issues on the sub-continent. For example, nearly five times as many people suffer from HIV/AIDS and more than 400 million people live on less than $1.25 a day.