On today’s World Health Day, the WHO kicks off a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health called “Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures.” The organization urges governments and the health community to expand efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths as humanitarian funding cuts are forcing countries to roll back vital health services. A UN report released today, Trends in Maternal Mortality, shows a 40% global decline in maternal deaths between 2000–2023 but indicates that the “pace of improvement has slowed significantly since 2016.” In 2023, an estimated 260,000 women died as a result of complications from pregnancy or childbirth.
