Joint Statement on behalf of Burkina Faso, Colombia, Estonia, and New Zealand, on “Preventable Maternal Mortality and Morbidity”.

Madame President,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Burkina Faso, Colombia, Estonia, and New Zealand, who together are the core group for the Council’s biennial resolution on “Preventable Maternal Mortality and Morbidity”.

We would like to thank the OHCHR for their latest report and work on promoting a human rights-based approach to preventable maternal mortality and morbidity.

We welcome the report’s focus on maternal morbidity.  Ensuring women’s and girls’ human rights in relation to maternal health requires more than just avoidance of death.  Women affected by maternal morbidity suffer life-long impairments and in many cases stigmatization. This issue needs more attention in our efforts to improve maternal health globally.

We regret the lack of sufficient data on the issue, however estimates show that for every woman who dies of pregnancy-related causes, 20 to 30 others experience acute or chronic morbidity, often permanent, undermining their right to health and well-being. These numbers are deeply concerning and demonstrate a clear need to step up our efforts to enable women and girls to experience pregnancy and childbirth safely. The ability for women and girls to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health, and to have access to the information they need to make healthy decisions plays a critical role in these efforts.

We fully concur that maternal morbidity as well as maternal health in general, is a matter of human rights, deeply intertwined with other human rights such as the rights to health, privacy, education and an effective remedy, as well as the prohibition of discrimination. 

Maternal morbidity is often both a cause and a consequence of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. A human rights-based approach to maternal morbidity is premised on the principles of accountability, participation, transparency, empowerment, sustainability, international assistance and non-discrimination.

With that in mind we encourage States to implement the technical guidance on a human rights-based approach to policies and programmes for the reduction of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity.

We, the core group on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity are committed to ensuring this work remains high on the Council’s agenda.  We must enable women and girls to experience pregnancy and childbirth safely, with full respect for their human rights. 

Thank you!