Saving women's and children's lives

Ensuring that all women have access to care during pregnancy and delivery, and after childbirth, is essential to saving lives and improving health.

A woman in New Zealand faces a 1 in 2,800 chance of dying in pregnancy or delivery. The risk in developing countries, which include most islands in the Pacific region, is 1 in 61.

When women survive, so do their children. Children whose mothers die or are disabled in childbearing are much more likely to die within two years than children who live with both parents.

Enabling women to control their fertility through the use of family planning can ensure that they choose when they are ready to have children. This advances their health and survival, as well as that of their future children.