Global Price Tag

$10 Billion Annually Needed to Meet MDG 5

Governments and the international community must commit funding to provide essential services to all women in developing countries to meet MDG 5 (Improve Maternal Health) by 2015. They must increase investment in maternal, newborn, and reproductive health over current funding levels by an estimatedadditional US $10 billion in 2010, increasing annually to an additional US $20 billion in 2015.

While donor funding for maternal, newborn and child health has increased significantly in the past few years, from US$2.1 billion in 2003 to almost US $3.5 billion in 2006, it remains far below the total funding needs of the 68 countries identified as accounting for 97% of maternal and child deaths worldwide.

Though the funding is essential to prevent these deaths, money alone can't solve this problem. Governments must also:

• Strengthen health systems and address serious gaps, including 1.1 million health care professionals (midwives, nurses, doctors, and specialists) and managers by 2015.
• Strengthen maternal, newborn, and reproductive health programs and institutions, and ensure that information and services are available and sensitive to and respectful of women.
• Develop monitoring and accountability mechanisms and channels for community engagement that address wider socio-economic, political, and cultural barriers to maternal and newborn health care.