Compassionate Canada

Canada Lauded by UNICEF

THE CANADIAN PRESS
January 22, 2008 at 7:46 AM EST

TORONTO — The president and CEO of UNICEF Canada is praising Canada for backing innovative programs and research aimed at reducing child deaths in poverty-stricken African countries.

Canada's “pioneering” role in successful programs such as the Accelerated Child Survival and Development initiative has saved children's lives, said Nigel Fisher in an interview to discuss the release Tuesday of UNICEF's flagship report, State of the World's Children.

“Canadian leadership is really perhaps the root of some of the reasons for optimism that we have,” said Fisher.

The Canadian-supported program provides integrated primary care delivering life-saving health and nutrition services to some 17 million people in 11 West and Central African countries.
From 2002 to 2006, independent estimates show the integrated approach reduced childhood mortality rates 20 per cent in communities and countries that used it, Mr. Fisher said.

“You compare it with, I would say, more traditional declines in child mortality, and this was really rapid by comparison.”

He said Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency are trying to bring all of their health interventions on maternal and child health under one umbrella, and Tuesday's report is a call to action to implement the integrated management of childhood services on a much more global scale.

“We know what to do, it's affordable, but we need really to increase global partnership and investment to really see the benefits in terms of millions more of children's lives affected and saved.”

According to UNICEF, child deaths around the world have reached a record low, falling to 9.7 million in 2006, down from almost 13 million in 1990, success largely attributed to delivering health care and progress in nutritional supplementation.

On average, more than 27,000 children under age five die daily — the majority from preventable causes.

More than 80 per cent of all deaths of children under the age of five are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The countries with the three highest rates of children-under-five mortality are Sierra Leone, at 270 deaths per 1,000 live births, Angola and Afghanistan.

During his African tour last November, Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged $105-million over five years to a global initiative aimed at improving living conditions in the impoverished continent.

UNICEF International will handle Ottawa's contribution to the Catalytic Initiative To Save A Million Lives, a $500-million project to provide health-care services for poor mothers and children in Africa and Asia. The government's pledge will support training of about 40,000 front-line health-care workers.

Harper also vowed to double Canada's aid to Africa, admitting that levels had declined below the average for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
Fisher commended Canada's leadership on global initiatives but said there's still more the country can do to strengthen its role.

“I'd suggest given the strength of our economy and the fact that the amount of international assistance that Canada gives is well below rich countries' average, we could actually put much more in very affordably.”

For example, if Canada contributed $100-million a year, it could help save 500,000 children from preventable death, he said.

He said over the last 15 years, of the 50 least developed countries, almost a third have been able to reduce child mortality rates by 40 per cent since 1990.

“They're poorer countries, so it's not just money but it's also political will; it's the mainstreaming of investment in maternal and child health on sort of national plans and the scaling up of this.”

“We don't put all the burden just on the international community and on Canada. It also demands action at the national level in developing countries.”

Crossing the Border with a Work Permit

Congratulations your work permit has been approved!

Before you cross the border, you may wish to have my useful list of documents readily available for inspection by the border officers to make your crossing as smooth as possible (other documents may be required depending on your particular circumstances):

• Approval letter from CIC
• Copies of degrees or educational documents
• Copies of any previous employment contracts or agreements related to your work in Canada
• Latest bank statements and investment statements
• Original birth certificates for all family members
• Current passports for all family members
• Vehicle registration certificate and title (depending on how your title looks, you may need a permission letter from your financier – i.e., if it is joint title, you may need further documentation). Note that your vehicle will have to pass provincial inspection if you want insurance here – modification may be likely including day time running lights (which are fairly inexpensive to install) and others depending on the model and make of the vehicle
• A list in duplicate of all the goods you are bringing into Canada, showing their value, make, model, and serial number where applicable. Smaller items such as "dishes" can be lumped in one category with an estimated value.
• Report any currency / monetary instruments you are bringing with you that exceed $10,000 (i.e., cash, traveler's cheques, bank drafts)
• Avoid importing any firearms
• Veterinary certificate for any dogs or cats which must include recent rabies vaccination and statements of good health
• Houseplants may be imported, please declare at border. No plants intended to be planted outside may enter Canada
• Do not bring any fresh fruit, meat or vegetables of any kind