MDG5: Improve maternal health

‘For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.’

Psalm 139:13

More than 350,000 women die annually from complications during pregnancy or childbirth, 99 per cent in developing countries.

Target 1: Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.

Target 2: Achieve universal access to reproductive health.

Our campaigns in Australia and Germany are currently focussing on this MDG.

If Women Ruled the World?

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Switzerland from 25th-29th January has devoted an entire plenary session to the need for more women leaders throughout the world. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra stressed the importance of education if this is to be achieved. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was also in attendance to add his support to the proposal. Asked what would happen if women ruled the world, Tutu responded, “Men have tried to rule the world for centuries, and they have made a mess. Let’s let the other half try.” For more information, click here.

Kenyan MPs focus on maternal health

Kenyan MPs have pledged to fight for improvements in prenatal care and maternal health throughout a meeting entitled ‘Parliamentary Retreat on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health’, which was jointly hosted by the Kenyan Parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.  The country has long struggled to meet standards for MDG5, with the lifetime risk of maternal death in 2008 being an appalling 1 in 39.  However, the government is committed to providing better healthcare and more trained professionals, in line with UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women and Children’s Health by East African Countries.  To read more about the state of affairs in Kenya, and to find out how other East African countries are tackling MDG5, click here.

Encouraging Progress for Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea has significantly reduced maternal mortality throughout the entire country, and is on track to achieve MDG5 along with seven other African countries, according to a new report by the World Health Organisation.  Read more about it here: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/equatorial-guinea-reduces-maternal-mortality-2011-09-09

Innovative Approaches for Improving Maternal Health

The UN Secretary General's Every Woman, Every Child Innovation Working Group is developing new, creative strategies in order to improve women's and children's health.  Read more about their ideas: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/unf-it090911.php