United Nations agencies have warned that cuts in aid will threaten the fragile progress in ending maternal deaths globally.

The warning is contained in a new report released on the World Health Day.

In the report, UN agencies highlighted the threat of major backsliding as unprecedented aid cuts take effect around the world.

The report, titled ‘Trends in maternal mortality’, shows a 40 per cent global decline in maternal deaths between 2000 and 2023 – largely due to improved access to essential health services.

It showed that the pace of improvement has slowed significantly since 2016 and that an estimated 260,000 women died in 2023 as a result of complications from pregnancy or childbirth – roughly equivalent to one maternal death every two minutes.

It was released as humanitarian funding cuts severely impact essential health care in many parts of the world, forcing countries to roll back vital services for maternal, newborn and child health.

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said that while the report showed glimmers of hope, the data also highlights how dangerous pregnancy is in much of the world today.

According to him, the report also provides the first global account of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on maternal survival.

In 2021, he said, an estimated 40,000 more women died due to pregnancy or childbirth, increasing to 322,000 from 282,000 the previous year.

Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, said when a mother dies in pregnancy or childbirth, her baby’s life is also at risk.

According to her, the report highlights persistent inequalities between regions and countries and uneven progress.

She said maternal mortality stagnated in five regions after 2015: Northern Africa and Western Asia, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

(NAN)