BACK COVER

Complications arising during pregnancy and childbirth cause the deaths of half a million women every year, the vast majority in the developing world. Over 4 million newborn babies die each year, most of them as a result of poorly managed pregnancies and deliveries. Millions more women and babies suffer debilitating and life-long consequences of ill-health.

The World Health Organization seeks to alleviate the burden of suffering borne by women, children and families, through its Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood Programme which seeks to reduce levels of maternal and neonatal mortality and ill-health significantly by the year 2000.

The Organization's activities fall into four main areas:

· technical cooperation with countries in planning, implementing, managing and evaluating national safe motherhood and newborn care programmes;

· epidemiological research into levels and causes of maternal and neonatal mortality and operational research on cost-effective ways of reducing deaths and disabilities;

· strengthening human resources for the provision of essential obstetric care, including development of standard treatment and management protocols, programme planning guidelines and training materials;

· production of advocacy materials and collection, analysis and dissemination of information to provide scientifically sound data on the nature and dimensions of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity and how change can be brought about.

If you would like to know more about the WHO Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood Programme, write to:

Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood Programme
Division of Family Health
World Health Organization
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland