UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 10 May 2014]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/

09 May 2014 – Dispatch
The colour purple, changing the future of Afghan mothers
KABUL, Afghanistan – Purple is the colour that midwifery students proudly wear in a small but revolutionary school in the busy Afghan capital, Kabul. In a country where a woman dies every two hours from pregnancy-related complications, midwives play a key role in promoting safe motherhood and delivering healthy babies. They embody the difference between life and death. more

07 May 2014 – Dispatch
Caught in crisis, South Sudanese women learn to plan their families
JUBA, South Sudan – Teresa Aruoth never knew she could use family planning to help space the births of her children. Married in her teenage years, she counts herself lucky to have remained healthy in a country where one in seven mothers dies in childbirth. But the ongoing crisis in South Sudan has made the need to provide women with family planning services even more urgent. more

06 May 2014 – Dispatch
Maternal deaths continue to fall, new data show
UNITED NATIONS, New York – New data from the United Nations reveal that maternal deaths have declined by 45 per cent since 1990. Some 523,000 deaths occurred from complications in pregnancy or childbirth in 1990; in 2013, that number was 289,000. Despite this progress, most countries are not on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal target on maternal mortality. more

06 May 2014 – Press Release
United Nations agencies report steady progress in saving mothers’ lives
GENEVA / NEW YORK – New United Nations data show a 45 per cent reduction in maternal deaths since 1990. An estimated 289 000 women died in 2013 due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth, down from 523 000 in 1990. more

05 May 2014 – Statement
Statement for the International Day of the Midwife
Globally, in the past two decades, maternal death has declined by nearly half. In the same period, skilled birth attendance has increased by 15 per cent, with two out of three deliveries worldwide now attended by a skilled health professional. With just over 600 days left until the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline, concerted efforts are required to scale up cost-effective interventions in educating midwives and other professionals with midwifery skills. more

05 May 2014 – Dispatch
“Life Starts in the Hands of a Midwife”
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Every two minutes, a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth, according to UN estimates, adding up to nearly 290,000 maternal deaths each year. Nearly 3 million newborns die each year as well. Most of these deaths are entirely preventable: Prenatal care and the presence of a skilled attendant at birth – services provided by midwives – could avert as many as 3.6 million deaths a year. The International Day of the Midwife, on 5 May, commemorates the work of midwives around the world. more