RHM endorsed a letter calling on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to officially recognise 11 April as the International Day for Maternal Health brought forward by Center for Health and Gender Equity and Path International.

“On April 11, we will celebrate the third annual International Day for Maternal Health and Rights. Will the UN join us?

Each year, 289,000 women die in pregnancy and childbirth, 99 percent of them in the developing world. Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the world’s second leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19. And for every maternal death, more than 40 women suffer severe complications that cause injury, infection, or disease. Many more suffer human rights abuses when seeking care before, during, and after pregnancy and childbirth.

We know what causes the majority of maternal deaths and injuries. And we know how to prevent them. But despite global commitments to end preventable maternal mortality, pregnant and parenting women are not getting the care that they need. And for the most marginalized people, poverty, stigma, discrimination, and criminalization push skilled and dignified care farther out of reach. This failure to provide access to care is a global human rights crisis.

Join us in recognizing April 11 as the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights. Maternal health advocates, researchers, and providers are committed to ending human rights abuses and promoting skilled and dignified care. Together with the UN community we can make comprehensive, respectful, and rights-based maternal health care available to all.

Stand with us. Officially and permanently recognise the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights on the UN calendar every April 11.“