From Pipli to the World: The story behind PMNCH 2018

Bengaluru, Oct 26: This year, India will play host to the largest-ever Partners' Forum on 12th and 13th December 2018 in New Delhi. PMNCH (The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health) will bring together 1,200 partners from over 100 countries dedicated to the Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) movement and to the achievement of the UN Secretary General's Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (Global Strategy).

The forum aims to unite PMNCH's 1,000+ partners around common strategies so that every woman, child and adolescent - no matter where they live - can survive, thrive and transform our world.

The forum will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and PMNCH. Heads of State, Ministers of Health and other sectors would be present at the event. A big focus of the forum will be to share stories of how countries are successfully collaborating across sectors and stakeholders to fast-track improvements in health and well-being of women, children and adolescents. There is mounting evidence that more can be achieved when sectors like health, education, water, hygiene and sanitation and labour work together.

Acknowledging India's significant achievements and commitment in addressing common challenges to improve the health and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents worldwide, the global community has entrusted Govt of India to host this year's prestigious global Partners' Forum and lead the dialogue on enhancing country-level action on Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

A set of 12 case studies will be launched at the event showcasing the power of partnership, cross-sectoral action, accountability and political leadership across partner countries. One such success story chosen from India is Mission Indradhanush, an unprecedented collaboration between India's Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and 11 other ministries to increase immunization coverage among children and pregnant women to 90% by 2020.

This is the second time India is hosting The Partners' Forum after 2010. The previous chapters of the forum have been held in Johannesburg (2014) and Delhi (2010) and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2007).

Story behind the logo

In the initial stages of planning for the Partners' Forum, the Government of India and PMNCH agreed that a compelling logo for the event was needed that reflected the key themes of the Forum and the broader agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making people the central focus and reflecting the location of the Forum in India.

From Pipli to the World: The logo brings together the six themes of the Forum showing how partners working across sectors can advance action.

Six images were used showing women, children and adolescents, each representing one of the six EWEC themes. It was important also to represent the role of men - for example, in caring for and nurturing young children, and in sharing with their partner's decision-making about sexual and reproductive health decisions. The images were linked in a circle, reflecting the fact that the six themes can be seen as a ring of human endeavour, based on the paradigm of "a world made of many parts come together as a whole." The circular form of the logo, and the centrality of the people depicted, echo the interconnected themes of the SDGs and the importance of working together.

The six themes are

1. adolescent health and well-being
2. early childhood development
3. empowerment of women, girls and communities
4. humanitarian and fragile settings
5. quality, equity and dignity in services
6. and sexual and reproductive health and rights

The inspiration for the symbol came from Pipli, a popular applique craft with origins in the eponymous village in Odisha. Craftspeople in the village of Pipli reproduced the logo in appliqué form. The six motifs they produced were sewn together and placed on a digitally printed white background to make a unique scroll. This was packed in a specially crafted presentation box.

From organizations and national leaders to young people, women and children in small towns and villages: everyone can connect with this image of handcrafted Pipli. The use of Pipli also gives the logo a sense of place, referring to the Forum's location in India. The symbol for the Partners' Forum represents the country's vibrant spirit and makes it universally applicable.

The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi unveiled the identity earlier this year.