Closing Remarks by
Mr Najib Assifi, Deputy Director
Asia and Pacific Regional Office, UNFPA
On the Occasion of the Second National Midwifery Forum
Phnom Penh Hotel, 11 June 2009
His Excellency Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen;
On behalf of Ms Thoraya Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director, and my colleagues at UNFPA, it is my honour to

join you today for Cambodia’s second Midwifery Forum.
I would like to express our thanks to the Royal Government of Cambodia, in particular the National Committee for Population and Development and The Ministry of Health, for organizing today’s event.
The 2nd Midwifery Forum is very timely. Significant progress has been made since the 1st Forum at the end of 2005, yet significant challenges remain. It is important that the 3rd government mandate is updated and briefed on these important issues, and that outstanding challenges are urgently addressed.
Over the course of the last two days, there have been important presentations and discussions about reproductive, maternal and neonatal health, and specific achievements and challenges related to midwifery training, recruitment, deployment and scaling up of midwifery as a profession. We have heard from experts in multiple sectors, we have seen an impressive video documentary, and we have heard from midwives themselves. This situation in the field is clear, and the real challenges and needs of midwives are also clear.