UNITED NATIONS SUMMIT

20-22 September 2010, New York

High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly

GOAL 5 FACT SHEET

Improve Maternal Health
TARGETS
1. Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
2. Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health

Quick Facts
* More than 350,000 women die annually from complications during pregnancy or childbirth, almost all of them —
99 per cent — in developing countries.
• The maternal mortality rate is declining only slowly, even though the vast majority of deaths are avoidable.
• In sub-Saharan Africa, a woman’s maternal mortality risk is 1 in 30, compared to 1 in 5,600 in developed regions.
• Every year, more than 1 million children are left motherless. Children who have lost their mothers are up to 10 times more
likely to die prematurely than those who have not.

WHERE DO WE STAND?

Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high. New data show 50 per cent, with coverage increasing to 70 per cent of pregnant
signs of progress in improving maternal health — the health of women in Southern Asia and 79 per cent in Western Asia.
women during pregnancy and childbirth — with some countries
achieving significant declines in maternal mortality ratios. But In 2008, skilled health workers attended 63 per cent of births
progress is still well short of the 5.5 per cent annual decline in the developing world, up from 53 per cent in 1990. Progress
needed to meet the MDG target of reducing by three quarters was made in all regions, but was especially dramatic in Northern
the maternal mortality ratio by 2015. Africa and South-Eastern Asia, with increases of 74 per cent
and 63 per cent, respectively.
Progress has been made in sub-Saharan Africa, with some
countries halving maternal mortality levels between 1990 and Large disparities still exist in providing pregnant women with
2008. Other regions, including Asia and Northern Africa, have antenatal care and skilled assistance during delivery. Poor
made even greater headway. women in remote areas are least likely to receive adequate
care. This is especially true for regions where the number of
Most maternal deaths could be avoided. More than 80 per skilled health workers remains low and maternal mortality high
cent of maternal deaths are caused by haemorrhage, sepsis, — in particular sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and Oceania.
unsafe abortion, obstructed labour and hypertensive diseases
of pregnancy. Most of these deaths are preventable when there HIV is also curtailing progress, contributing significantly to
is access to adequate reproductive health services, equipment, maternal mortality in some countries.
supplies and skilled healthcare workers.
The risk of maternal mortality is highest for adolescent
More women are receiving antenatal care and skilled girls and increases with each pregnancy, yet progress on
assistance during delivery. In all regions, progress is being family planning has stalled and funding has not kept pace
made in providing pregnant women with antenatal care. In with demand. Contraceptive use has increased over the last
North Africa, the percentage of women seeing a skilled health decade. By 2007, 62 per cent of women who were married
worker at least once during pregnancy jumped by 70 per cent. or in union were using some form of contraception. However,
Southern Asia and Western Asia reported increases of almost these increases are lower than in the 1990s.
Some 215 million women who would prefer to delay or avoid • UNFPA, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health
childbearing lack access to safe and effective contraception. It is Organization (WHO), and the World Bank, as well as the
estimated that meeting the unmet needs for contraception alone Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), have joined
could cut — by almost a third — the number of maternal deaths. forces as Health 4+ (H4+) to support countries with the
highest rates of maternal and newborn mortality. The H4+
Funding of reproductive and maternal health programmes partners support emergency obstetric and neonatal care
is vital to meet the MDG target. Yet official development needs assessments and help cost national maternal, new-
assistance for family planning declined sharply between 2000 born and child health plans, mobilize resources, increase
and 2008, from 8.2 to 3.2 per cent. Other external funding has the number of skilled health workers, and improve access
also declined. There is now less money available to fund these to reproductive health services.
programmes than there was in 2000.
• In 2009, WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA partnered with the Af-
WHAT HAS WORKED? rican Union Ministers of Health as well as bilateral aid and
non-governmental organizations to launch the Campaign
• Widening access to maternal health services in Egypt: The
on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa
Ministry of Health and Population significantly increased
(CARMMA). The campaign aims to save the lives of mothers
access to obstetric and neonatal care, in particular to
and newborns. It is active in 20 African countries, includ-
vulnerable populations in Upper Egypt. About 32 maternity
ing Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia,
homes were constructed in rural areas. The number of births
Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Swaziland.
attended by trained healthcare workers in rural areas has
since doubled to 50 per cent.
• A programme led by UNFPA and the International Confed-
eration for Midwives is active in 15 countries in Africa, the
• Fighting fistula in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the
Arab States and Latin America, working closely with Ministers
Arab States: In 2003, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA),
of Health and Education to increase the capacity and the
together with government and private partners, launched the
number of midwives. Under the programme, Uganda has
Campaign to End Fistula, a childbirth injury that leaves women
developed a plan to promote quality midwife training; North-
incontinent, isolated and ashamed. The campaign is now
ern Sudan has developed the first ever national midwifery
active in 49 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia
strategy; and in Ghana, a nationwide needs assessment of
and the Arab States. More than 28 countries have integrated
all the midwifery schools will help strengthen training.
the issue into relevant national policies and more than 16,000
women have received fistula treatment and care.
• UNFPA’s Global Programme to Enhance Reproductive
Health Commodity Security and WHO’s evidence-based
• Investing in mobile maternal health units in Pakistan:
guidance in family planning have helped improve access
UNFPA-supported mobile clinics were set up in Pakistan
to reproductive health supplies in more than 70 countries,
in 2005 and had received nearly 850,000 patients by 2008.
including in Ethiopia, where the contraceptive prevalence
Women can use them for antenatal consultations, deliveries,
rate has more than doubled since 2005, and in Laos, Mada-
post-miscarriage complications and referrals for Caesarean
gascar and Mongolia, where significant progress in the use
section. The mobile units managed to provide skilled birth
of voluntary family planning was also noted.
attendance to 43 per cent of pregnant women in remote
areas, 12 per cent higher than the national average.
Sources: The Millennium Development Goals Report 2010, United
WHAT IS THE UN DOING? Nations; World Health Organization (WHO); UN MDG Database
(mdgs.un.org); MDG Monitor Website (www.mdgmonitor.org), UN
• UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, together with lead- Development Programme (UNDP); What Will It Take to Achieve the
ers from governments, foundations, NGOs and business, Millennium Development Goals? – An International Assessment 2010,
UNDP; Campaign to End Fistula Website (www.endfistula.org); UN
launched in 2010 a Global Strategy for Women’s and Chil-
Population Fund (UNFPA); Office of the UN High Commissioner for
dren’s Health, setting out key actions to improve the health
Human Rights (OHCHR).
of women and children worldwide, with the potential of
saving 16 million lives by 2015. The Global Strategy spells out For more information, please contact [email protected] or see
steps to enhance financing, strengthen policy and improve www.un.org/millenniumgoals.
service delivery, and sets in motion international institutional
arrangements for global reporting, oversight and account-
ability on women’s and children’s health.

Issued by the UN Department of Public Information – DPI/2650 E/Rev.1 - September 2010