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On 17 June, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights. New Zealand worked in partnership with Colombia to lead the negotiations. The resolution was adopted by consensus and cosponsored by 72 states, reflecting broad cross-regional support for the issue. The resolution is available below in PDF format as is the Human Rights Council Statement on its introduction.
Woman and children in Papua New Guinea (Photo credit: Steve Nowakowski)The resolution is the first to recognise the human rights implications of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity. It paves the way for more substantive discussion of women’s rights in the Council, as well as for greater emphasis on a human rights analysis of the Millennium Development Goal on maternal health (MDG5).
Maternal mortality and morbidity (deaths and disabilities that occur due to complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth) is estimated to impact 1500 women and girls per day, with over 500,000 deaths every year. Most of these deaths are preventable.
Leading this initiative provided a platform for New Zealand to increase its cross-regional profile in the Council. It also provided an opportunity to work closely with the United States, which actively supported the resolution. This was one of the first women’s rights resolutions the Obama Administration has endorsed.
The adoption of the resolution has received significant and positive media reporting internationally. Reports have appeared on the websites of the Huffington Post, in the Lancet, the Boston Globe, Hudson Valley News and Medical News Today as well as on the web pages of prominent non-governmental organisations that monitor the issue.
