Happy ending for the campaign “Non-assistance à mere en danger”

Last Saturday (September 18) tourists and street vendors around the Eiffel Tower were replaced by activists from “Non-assistance à mere en danger“, GCAP and the French Millennium Campaign for a huge flash mob.

Activists released black balloons as a tribute to the 350,000 pregnant women who die each year from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth, and showed their support for the global fight against poverty and inequality, to the sound of a drum representing a human heartbeat.

Ahead of the MDG Summit we took this opportunity to remind policy-makers of the commitments they have made to reduce maternal mortality and to challenge stakeholders to put forward an ambitious plan to raise funds and push for major political reforms – the only way that the MDGs will be met by 2015.

The flash mob marked the end of the French campaign “Non -assistance à Mère en Danger” after 6 months of mobilisation and more than 10,500 signatures which were handed over to the French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week.

Partners’ organisations and all signatories hope that their demands will be heard and most importantly, implemented. France will hold the presidency of the G8 and G20 in 2011. An important opportunity to ensure that the pledges made at the MDG Summit are followed up with real action.