global maternal mortality campaign

For many women childbirth is a matter of life or death - for them and for their baby. Nearly every minute, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth¹. According to the UN, 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries, where childbirth is the leading cause of death for many 15 to 19 year old girls². When mothers die so much is lost - a child without a mother is four times more likely to die prematurely³, while in financial terms maternal and newborn deaths also cost the global economy $15 billion a year in lost productivity.

But the tragedy does not end there. It is estimated that for every woman who dies another 20 suffer from illness or disability as a result of pregnancy or childbirth - around 10 million women a year⁴. Many of these women not only face severe discomfort and emotional distress, but are abandoned by their families⁵.

Ten years ago the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in an attempt to reduce the number of people living in poverty globally. The fifth goal, which commits the world to reducing maternal mortality by 75 percent, is central to this effort. However, a decade on, little progress has been made towards MDG 5. The Maternal Mortality Campaign was created to build awareness and pressure for action so that we stop this global outrage and ensure that the world meets its promise to keep more mothers, and their children, alive.

who we are

The Maternal Mortality Campaign is a global initiative dedicated to saving the lives of mothers and their newborn babies, by promoting access to quality health care for women worldwide. The campaign works with the grass roots members of the White Ribbon Alliance, with professional health workers, aid agencies including CARE, Oxfam and Save the Children, Human Rights groups such as Amnesty International, high profile supporters including First Ladies, supermodels and actors, the private sector, UN agencies, journalists and political leaders. These diverse supporters use their voices and influence to stop women and girls dying needlessly in pregnancy and childbirth. We believe that the tide is changing and the world is beginning to see the significance of investing in maternal health. It is crucial that we harness this momentum and keep moving forward to ensure that women - wherever they are - receive the care they need to stay alive and stay healthy.

Sarah Brown, Global Patron of the White Ribbon Alliance and Co-Chair of the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Leadership Group, has pointed to the importance of grass roots activism and global campaigning, ensuring international attention on maternal and newborn health. She acts as an informed and powerful voice for mothers worldwide and her leadership has spurred the growth of the campaign through community leaders, CEOs, First Ladies, health workers, journalists and supermodels. Our supporters span the globe, linking all levels of society with one guiding principle: Play Your Part

¹UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 2009, p4
²UNICEF, 'Early Marriage: Child Spouces', Innocenti Digest, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2001, No. 7, p11.
³Gertler, Levine and Bretozzi, Lost presence and presents - How parental death affects children, University of California, Berkeley, 2004.
⁴Nanda, Geeta, Kimberley Switlick and Elizabeth Lule, Acceleration progress towards achieving the MDG to improve maternal health: a collection of promising approaches, World Bank, Washington, D.C., April 2005, p4 referenced in UNICEF State of the World's Children, 2009 p4.
⁵UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 2009, p13.