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15/05/2014 | Documento
Salud sexual y reproductiva

Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2013 Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, The World Bank and the United Nations Population Division

Measuring the MDG 5 target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) (target 5A) remains a challenge. Less than 40% of countries have a complete civil registration system with good attribution of cause of death, which is necessary for the accurate measurement of maternal mortality.
Trends in maternal mortality: 1990 to 2013 Cover

A number of initiatives that commenced in recent years are geared towards achievement of the fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 5: Improving maternal health), most notably the launch of the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health in 2010 by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General.  Subsequently, the high-level Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health was established to "determine the most  effective international institutional arrangements for global reporting, oversight and accountability on women's and children's health." One of the ten recommendations of the commission was specific to improving measurement of maternal (and child) deaths. This recommendation requires that "by 2015, all countries have taken significant steps to establish a system for registration of births, deaths and causes of death, and have well-functioning health information systems that combine data from facilities, administrative sources and surveys". The first report of the independent Expert Review Group (iERG) established by the commission for overseeing the progress in achievement of the commission's 10 recommendations indicated insufficient progress in the implementation of the recommendations including the one on 'vital events' reporting.

Autor

  • Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, The World Bank and the United Nations Population Division