TORONTO – Queen Rania of Jordan says the deaths of millions of mothers and newborns every year is an outrage and an injustice that has no place in the world’s shared humanity.

The 43-year-old monarch of the tiny Middle East desert kingdom is thanking Prime Minister Stephen Harper for sharing that outrage and spearheading efforts to improve child and maternal health.

Rania is a philanthropist and advocate for the rights of women and girls, particularly in the Arab world, but says her most important role is mom to her four children.

She is addressing the second day of the prime minister’s international conference on child and maternal health that also features other high-profile guests such as the Aga Khan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Melinda Gates and experts and politicians from around the globe.

Harper is trying to bolster support of 2010 G8 Muskoka Initiative, which aims to reduce the millions of yearly deaths of mothers, newborns and young children in developing countries.

The Harper government invested $2.8 billion in 2010 and the prime minister is expected to make a new funding announcement later today.