71st United Nations General Assembly, (UNGA) in New York
At the 71st United Nations General Assembly, (UNGA) in New York, Her Excellency was the honoree of the prestigious Speak Up Africa Citizen Engagement Award for her lifetime commitment to improving the lives of women, girls and newborns in Nigeria.
Her Excellency was honoured as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health Family Planning Champion for Nigeria, in recognition of her commitment to improving the health of women and children in the country.
Her Excellency was honoured as a Fellow of the Academy of Public Health (FAPH), by the West African Academy of Public Health (WAAPH) during the inauguration of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Academy, in Abuja. Her Excellency pledged to honour this title to advance family planning across Nigeria in her keynote address at the Women Pre-Conference of the 4th Nigeria Family Planning Conference at the Centre for Women Development in Abuja.
Her Excellency was awarded the title of Vaccine Champion by the Women Advocates for Vaccine Access (WAVA) in Nigeria, a collective of influential and elite political, business and youth leaders; senior civil servants; religious and traditional leaders; and top media personalities who promote immunisation practices and sustainable governmental and donor financing.
In a ceremony marking Islamic New Year, Her Excellency Toyin Saraki was awarded title of Ambassador of Nigerian Women by the Al Itqon Islamic Society of Nigerian Ilorin.
The Guardian UK Global Development Network honoured WBF as an NGO Hero, commending the organisation for its phenomenal work to bring models of best practice to Kwara State, in north-central Nigeria. In particular, the award recognised the development and distribution of client-held personal health records (PHRs) alongside partnership with Johnson & Johnson and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) to deliver Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Skills and Drills training to midwives on the frontline.
Her Excellency and Mr Sobhani were honoured with an invitation to participate at The White House Global Development Summit in Washington, DC. Her Excellency provided her insights into the progress made towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals objectives for women’s and children’s health, particularly with regard to the catalytic efforts of the United States.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
WBF was invited to the United Nations General Assembly for the second time where information about our frontline programmes such as the Personal Health Records and Mama Kits, shared ideas with other global health advocates, and urged organisations to remain committed to improving MNCH worldwide.
• Global Truce 2012 campaign on ‘Reducing Domestic Violence’
WBF participated in the launch of the Global Truce 2012 campaign on ‘Reducing Domestic Violence’, hosted by Peace One Day in conjunction with the Global Foundation for the Elimination Domestic Violence (GFEDV). The Global Truce 2012 brought together international advocates in a campaign to eradicate gender-based violence worldwide and raise awareness prior to Peace Day 2012, a day of ceasefire and nonviolence. At this event, Her Excellency Mrs. Toyin Saraki, the Founder-President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa and
Baroness Scotland, the global patron for the Global Foundation For The Elimination of Domestic Violence Africa, spoke on how to address genderbased violence.
• Global Truce Campaign
WBF celebrated its commitment to the Global Truce Campaign by participating the Peace One Day NGO Coalition launch. This was an inspiring show of solidarity amongst the NGO community ahead of the Peace One Day