The maternal, newborn, and child health community has issued a joint call to governments, donors, and world leaders to fulfill their previous commitments to global health. Those commitments have a price tag for the essential interventions that could avert the deaths of over 6 million mothers, newborns and children every year:

An estimated additional US$10.2 billion annually is needed to ensure universal coverage of basic services needed to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on reducing child and maternal mortality by 2015.

Of this $10.2 billion, half must be earmarked for maternal and newborn health, including reproductive health.  This often neglected area of the maternal, newborn and child health continuum of care needs particular attention to ensure programs are scaled-up and necessary infrastructure and supplies are available for universal access.

For more information:

Visit the Countdown to 2015 web site View the Global Call to Action

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.