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July 3, 2003
Indian mother and infant
A new partnership dedicated to promoting safe motherhood and newborn health will be launched in October 2003 after an international meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the impact of unsafe abortion in Asia.
Photo courtesy of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Ipas has been named to the Steering Committee of a new global initiative dedicated to promoting safe motherhood and newborn health, especially among the most vulnerable populations. The Partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health, which will be launched officially later this year, is a larger, broader successor to the Safe Motherhood Inter-Agency Group created in 1987. The group’s evolution reflects growing international recognition of the urgent need to mobilize resources and action to reduce deaths and disabilities associated with pregnancy and childbirth, including those caused by unsafe abortion.

“Ipas is honored to be chosen not only for membership in the partnership, but also for the steering committee,” said Ipas President Elizabeth Maguire. “Our selection indicates a very encouraging commitment by the organizers to address women’s needs for safe abortion as part of the safe motherhood agenda.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 13 percent of global deaths of women related to pregnancy and childbirth are caused by unsafe abortion, which it defines as termination of pregnancy by persons lacking necessary skills, in an environment lacking minimal medical standards, or both.

The objectives of the new partnership include advocating for increased political will, strengthening commitment to improved access and quality of care, and documenting lessons learned from local, national and international programs to promote safe motherhood and newborn health. It comprises nearly three dozen agencies, 21 of which serve on the steering committee. In addition to Ipas, these include the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The steering committee’s initial meeting will take place in October 2003 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after an international meeting on the impact of unsafe abortion in Asia organized by the Safe Motherhood Inter-Agency Group.

For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258