Here are some things you can do to promote MDG5 in your national policy agenda.

What can governments do?

• Establish and/or support the implementation of a national action plan for scaling up maternal and newborn health services.
• Allocate needed financial and human resources towards achieving MDGs 4 and 5.
• Increase coverage of key maternal and newborn health coverage and services, ensuring in particular that they reach the poor and underserved.

 If you work in a civil society or community-based organization:

• Advocate for increased government political commitment, investment and accountability for maternal and newborn health.
• Bring together interested friends and organizations into an advocacy or accountability coalition focused on tracking government or donor commitments to maternal health.
• Talk to media representatives about the commitments your government made and about women’s urgent need for those commitments to be kept.

 If you are a Member of Parliament:

• Allocate sufficient funding for equitable health services.
• Introduce legislation supporting women’s and maternal health.
• Hold a briefing for other members of parliment on maternal health in your country. Use Women Deliver facts and figures and highlight its recommendations for action.
• Introduce the Ministers’ Forum statement from Women Deliver into your cabinet and parliament.

If you are a health provider:

• Share the “three pillars” for improving maternal health (comprehensive reproductive health care, skilled care during and immediately after pregnancy and childbirth, and emergency obstetric care for life-threatening complications when they develop) with your national ob/gyn, midwifery or nursing professional associations and with other health providers.
• With your colleagues, document what you need to improve maternal health in your own facility. Involve clinic officials in brainstorming ways to move forward.

If you are a media representative:

• Question government authorities in your Ministry of Health Planning or in the national legislature about the commitments they made at Women Deliver.
• Visit local maternal health facilities for stories about the status of maternal health care in your audience area. Use Women Deliver facts and figures for context.
• Contact civil society organizations, health providers and health officials about what they need to improve your country’s maternal and newborn health.