16 November 2011, Dhaka. Bangladesh’s top NGOs and businesses united under the banner of the "Every Mother, Every Child" initiative which was launched in 20101, by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon. The Secretary General is visiting Bangladesh for the second time during his term. The event at the Sonargaon Hotel, was co-hosted by BRAC, icddr b, the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Foundation and sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank.

BRAC, the world’s largest NGO based in Bangladesh, committed $260 million to global programmes which directly work to achieve the goals of the UN initiative.

"We need to focus on providing access to a continuum of care across different stages of the human life cycle in order to effectively address this challenge," said Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and chairman of BRAC.

During the event, iccddr,b Executive Director Alejandri Cravioto, said "Improving maternal and child health is central to the research agenda of icddr,b. Our commitment this evening is to the expansion of our services to include comprehensive obstetric services to reduce maternal deaths to zero in the Matlab areas."

The Finance Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Abul Mal Abdul Muhith, along with other reputed members of the political, media, and business community were present at the meeting.

Key note speaker, Ban Ki-Moon praised the cooperative between the public and private sector in Bangladesh.
"The United Nations has initiated a global movement to empower women and children of our world. The results are remarkable. And nowhere is this more important than here in Bangladesh," said BanKi-Moon.

The mentioned global effort received significant amount of support from the private sector on a global scale. 191 states and partners have made 206 commitments to "Every Mother, Every Child". Within five years it is anticipated partners will commit another $40 Billion.

Many members of the Bangladeshi private sector are showing particular interest in reaching the Millennium Development Goals, and supporting the "Every Mother, Every Child" programme.

Only sixteen countries are expected to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, which include eradicating poverty and protecting the planet, Bangladesh being one of them.