Women Deliver 2010: Women from all over the world come together to fight maternal death

from Sex and Sensibilities

WASHINGTON, DC, 4 June 2010 – Women Deliver 2010, the world’s largest conference on women’s health and empowerment in more than a decade opened today Monday, June 7, with a call to increase funding commitments for maternal, reproductive, and newborn health by US$12 billion each year.

More than 3,000 representatives from nearly 140 countries will highlight the urgent need to save the lives of the 350,000-500,000 women who die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes each year, citing new economic rationale for investing in women.

“Women deliver enormous social and economic benefits to their families, communities, and nations,” said Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver. “We’ve made great progress on maternal health in many areas of the world, but our leaders need to realize that this issue is at the core of global development, economic well-being, and even national security. When women survive, families—and societies—thrive.” (Read full article here)