Brussels, 18/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - On the 16-17 May in Geneva the 58th World Health Organisation Assembly took place. The highest body of the World Health Organisation (WTO) examined important public health issues and more particularly the question of mother and child health care. On this occasion, the Luxembourg minister of Health and Social Security, Mars Di Bartolomeo, launched an appeal on behalf of the EU to aim to have healthcare for all. In his contribution, the minister underlined that every minute a woman died due to childbirth complications or during childbirth and that every year there was more than 3.3 million still births. Mr Di Bartolomeo indicated that 4 million new born babies died in their first 28 days in the world and 6.6 million very young children died before their fifth birthday. The minister pointed out that faced with these 9 million deaths every year they should make “mother and child health care an absolute imperative”. The minister spoke of 1) sexual health rights: depriving the mother and child of healthcare was equivalent to unacceptable discrimination and was a sizable obstacle to attaining the Millennium Development Objectives. He said that better access to reproductive health and information was essential for implementing the Cairo Action Programme and the Millennium Objectives; 2) fight against AIDS: the minister underlined that in 2005 they would need to focus more attention on this ceaseless scourge. Di Bartolomeo indicated that the fight against AIDS, “whose murderous impact was equivalent to 15 tsunamis every year, demanded a coherent and concerted effort from the international community”. He called on the WHO to play a crucial role in this effort; 3) strategies: the minister appealed for duplication of strategies and action to be prevented and for more effective use of the abilities and skills of the different actors. He added that EU Member States were keen to underline the importance of synergies and complementarity between their programmes of public health, as well as development assistance and that of the WHO; 4) the new international health system: the minister said that the EU was pleased with the work accomplished in the finalisation of this settlement and affirmed the EU's determination to continue its close collaboration with the WHO in working for better health care for all.