WASHINGTON - May 31 - Every minute somewhere in the world a mother dies from childbirth; every hour sixty newborn babies die from mostly preventable causes; and every three seconds a child under five dies. Added together, that’s more than 10 million women and children dying each year. More than 100 million children across the globe do not attend school. The majority of them are girls.

On June 11-13th, 2006, women leaders from around the globe - including heads of state, leading advocates for children, philanthropic leaders and Nobel Laureates - will gather at the Dead Sea in Jordan for a three day conference designed to address these critical issues.

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The conference, entitled Mobilizing for Action is being held under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah and is organized by the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), in Jordan, and the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), in the United States. The goal of the conference is to determine the most effective way to turn the tide on maternal and newborn mortality and to ensure that girls everywhere have access to education.

In addition to Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia will speak at Sunday’s opening ceremony on June 11th.

The three-day conference will also mark the launch of the Global Women’s Action Network for Children, a new international advocacy group led by prominent women from around the world dedicated to identifying, funding and supporting programs to help women, girls, and infants.

The Conference and the Global Women’s Action Network will be convened by five women; former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, former President of Ireland and UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson, Melanne Verveer of CEO of Vital Voices, Mahnaz Afkhami Executive Director of the Women’s Learning Partnership. and Marian Wright Edelman of the Children’s Defense Fund.

Other conference participants to include; the First Ladies of Ukraine, Bahrain, Egypt, Rwanda, Zambia, Mauritania; and a group of Nobel Peace Laureates including Betty Williams, Jody Williams and Dr. Shirin Ebadi.

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