Photo: WHO/Malin Bring
While in most cases having a baby is a positive experience, pregnancy and childbirth can cause suffering, ill health or even death. Every year, women and newborn babies die from complications related to childbirth.
The interventions and approaches that help save the lives of mothers and babies are well documented. They can work even where resources are poor. Using this evidence, WHO/Europe provides guidance, training and technical support to governments and their partner agencies to ensure that the health system provides women and their newborn babies with the skilled care they need. The main goal is to help countries achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5: to reduce newborn mortality and maternal mortality significantly by 2015.
