What are the Targets?

Goal 5 of the Millennium Development Goals sets out by the year 2015 to:

• Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.

    Did you know?

• More than half a million women die in pregnancy and childbirth every year - that's one death every minute. Of these deaths, 99 per cent are in developing countries. In parts of Africa, maternal mortality rates are 1 in 16. (Source:UNFPA)
• Only 28 in 100 women giving birth are attended by trained health personnel in the least developed countries. (Source:ActionAid) 

    What can you do?

It's time for us to end this gross inequality in basic human health. Childbirth should be something to look forward to everywhere in the world, not just in rich countries. And we can make it that way. The world now has the financial resources and know-how to end extreme poverty. All that is lacking is the political will to change the status quo.

Support Goal 5 related Campaigns:

• Care International
• Health Unlimited
• Interact Worldwide

See which Campaign is involved to improve maternal health in your country:

• Campaigns in Africa
• Campaigns in the Arab Region
• Campaigns in Asia
• Campaigns in Europe
• Campaigns in Latin America & the Carribbean
• Campaigns in North America
• Campaigns in Oceania

Find out who else in working on the Millennium Goals:

• Youth
• Civil Society
• Faith-Based Organizations
• Local Authorities, Towns and Cities
• Parlamentarians & Elected Officials
• Media & Communication partners
• United Nations
• Trade Unions

Check out our Calls to Actions Center and find out how you can be involved to improve maternal health.

    Reports website and other documents related to Goal 5

The State of World Population 2005 - UNIFEM's report, The Promise of Equality: Gender Equity, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals, calls upon world leaders to fulfill promises made to the world’s women and young people in order to meet poverty reduction goals agreed to at the 2000 Millennium Summit. Read the full report available in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Health and the Millennium Development Goals - Building up and strengthening health systems is vital if more progress is to be made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report. Unless urgent investments are made in health systems, current rates of progress will not be sufficient to meet most of the goals. To read the report, visit the WHO website.

Millennium Development Goals & Sexual and Reproductive Health - Improving the sexual and reproductive health of men, women and young people is essential for achieving all of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but particularly those on gender equality and women's empowerment, child mortality, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS. Read the full document here.

Engendering the MDGs on Health 2003 - Materials from the Department of Gender and Women’s Health of the World Health Organization (WHO) 2003 highlighting the importance of addressing gender norms and inequalities as critical for the achievement of each MDG. To read more click here.

80 Million Lives—Meeting the MDGs in Child and Maternal Survival 2003 - Vision for human security--foster women's economic security, human rights, and fight spread of HIV/AIDS. A report by Grow up Free from Poverty Coalition. Read the report here. To learn more visit the Save The Children website.