Statement from Rosemary McCarney, President and CEO of Plan Canada:

TORONTO, June 26 /CNW/ - Plan wants to see the G20 Summit result in hard commitments and real accountability for maternal and child health - this is not about charity, it is about good economic as well as social policy.

Achieving economic recovery means investing in the developing world, particularly in women and girls. We know that each year a girl stays in school, her income will rise by ten to twenty per cent. With the opportunity to earn a living, she will pull herself out of poverty and bring her children along with her. She will then invest what she earns in her children - in their health, education and futures.

Economic and social inequalities for mothers and children are costly for everyone. When we talk about 8.8 million children dying of preventable causes before their fifth birthday, people immediately think of Africa, but in fact, a quarter (2 million) of those children are in India - a G20 country. It's time for those children to benefit from India's impressive strides in economic growth.

One meeting of the G8 countries and one big dollar pledge is not the real issue - the sustained commitment of the countries of the world to mothers and children who die too young and the poor is.

In an increasingly interconnected world, progress in the areas of development, security and human rights must go hand in hand. We look forward to the contributions from G20 governments leading up to the September Millennium Goals Summit.

For further information: To speak with Rosemary McCarney today, please contact Kristy Payne at 416 568 6525 or [email protected]; Visit www.plancanada.ca