Based on the paper by Kirrin Gill, Rohini Pande, and Anju Malhotra International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) Women Deliver for Development Photo credit: USAID/L. Lartigue

Four Key Issues 1)State of maternal health in the developing world needs urgent attention 2)Maternal health is critical to development worldwide 3)Promoting maternal health is a matter of human rights 4)Preventing maternal death and disability in developing countries is feasible

Women Deliver as Mothers: Women Deliver as Mothers: State of Maternal Health ●Unsatisfactory progress ●Large regional differences ●Large number of deaths within the first month of life ●Delivery and postpartum care remain poor

Gwatkin et al., 2000 Poorest women in poorest regions have least access to skilled care during childbirth Inequities in Maternal Care

Mothers Individuals Family Members Citizens WOMEN AS… Conceptual Framework

Maternal Health and Development Maternal health: ●Improves when women are empowered ●Is intricately linked to reproductive health ●Has profound effects on children and families Poor maternal health is: ●Costly for families and countries ●Significant proportion of global burden of disease

Women Deliver as Individuals: Links with Women’s Human Rights and Empowerment ●Strongly linked to better maternal health  Education  Economic opportunities  Household decision making  Intimate partner violence

Women Deliver as Individuals: Links with Reproductive Health ●Contraceptive use  Improves maternal health ●Unsafe abortion  Major cause of maternal mortality, morbidity  13% of maternal deaths worldwide ●HIV and AIDS  Leading cause of maternal death in Africa

Women Deliver as Family Members: Effects on Children and Families ●Health and survival  Children less likely to survive, especially girls  Surviving children less likely to be healthy and educated ● Economic and social costs  Families lose up to 1/3 of income in treatment costs  Families lose mother’s income and non-paid work

Women Deliver as Citizens: Effects on National Health and Productivity ● Significant burden of disease  Leading cause of death and disability for adult women  13% of deaths and of healthy life-years ●Lost productivity  More than US$15 billion per year

Investing in Maternal Health: Potential and Shortfalls ●Gap between actual and needed investment  $1.2 billion spent in 2006  $5 billion per year is needed until 2010 ● Gap can be closed  Only 0.016% of global GNP; 2% of global aid  Interventions highly cost-effective  Success stories abound even in poorer countries

Conclusions ●Maternal health, gender, and development are linked ●Shortfall in resources and lack of progress are disturbing ●Financial investment and political commitment can save the lives of women and children

Invest in women to fulfill their potential to deliver as mothers, individuals, family members, and citizens