OVERVIEW

Providing quality healthcare and nutritional support for all women and babies is vital for a healthy generation. In spite of substantial advances in maternal and newborn health over recent decades, roughly 300,000 women still die due to pregnancy-related complications every year. There is widespread evidence and agreement within the global community on what needs to be done to prevent these deaths and improve the health, nutrition, and wellbeing of women and babies.

Clinical interventions and health services need to be delivered across a continuum of care — before, during, and after pregnancy. There must also be an enhanced focus on the role that nutrition plays in saving lives and safeguarding the health of women, men, girls and boys — including newborns. Good nutrition is essential for physical growth, mental development, performance, productivity, health, and wellbeing across the entire life-span, making nutrition a sound investment for any country.

The interventions discussed in this policy brief not only address the leading causes of maternal and newborn death and disabilities, but they also explore solutions and overall health and wellbeing, encompassing good nutrition and the prevention and treatment of maternal injuries.

French Policy Brief: Download PDF