Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. Supporting mothers is a key development priority, forming an essential part of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Despite progress in prioritizing the health and rights of women and girls, maternal mortality remains unacceptably high. Globally, more than 700 women die every day from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth – the equivalent of one woman every two minutes. Most of these deaths are entirely preventable.
Making motherhood safer is a human rights imperative, and it is at the core of UNFPA’s mandate.
Regional Context
Most countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have near-universal access to antenatal care and almost every birth is assisted by skilled health workers. This has contributed to a steep decline in maternal mortality ratios across the region. Eastern Europe, as a whole, has cut mortality rates by over 75 per cent since 2000.
The risk of maternal mortality remains higher in Central Asia, but it has fallen by more than half since 2000. Kazakhstan’s mortality rate has seen the biggest improvement, dropping by 80 per cent. Even Kyrgyzstan, which has the highest risk of maternal death in the region, has decreased its mortality rate by more than 40 per cent.
However, socially excluded populations – including low-income groups, rural residents, migrants, refugees, ethnic minorities and adolescent girls in child marriages – still experience lower access to maternal health services.
Taking Action
Making childbirth and motherhood safer is a top priority for UNFPA, and we work with governments, health experts, and civil society to ensure maternal health for all, including training health workers, enhancing the availability of reproductive health services and essential medicines, strengthening health systems, and promoting international maternal health standards.
An essential factor in boosting maternal healthcare is data collection. UNFPA supports the implementation of maternal death review and response systems, which help countries understand how many women are dying and why, as well as how to respond.
UNFPA has also collaborated with partners to build a strong midwifery workforce capable of delivering high-quality, human-centred maternal care to women across the region, especially in humanitarian crises, rural areas and from marginalized communities. Well-trained midwives not only provide care for women and newborns, but they can also play a critical role in fostering health within their communities through comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services and family planning counselling that are tailored to the cultural environment.
Conflicts and natural disasters in the region have emphasized the need for emergency obstetric care that can prevent maternal and newborn deaths in emergency settings. Even when resources are limited, UNFPA seeks to make pregnancy and childbirth as safe as possible through basic and effective interventions.
UNFPA has created digital partnerships with leading women's health applications, including those focused on pregnancy tracking and maternal health. By leveraging collaboration and technology, UNFPA aims to increase access, knowledge and care for mothers and their children in the region and beyond.
Updated July 2025
