Some 15 per cent of pregnant women worldwide face potential life-threatening complications during pregnancy, delivery or afterwards. Despite this, 35 percent of new mothers in developing countries will give birth either alone or without skilled care during what is one of the most dangerous passages a woman will undergo in her entire lifetime.For a country to prevent women and newborn babies from dying during childbirth, one of the most important investments it can make is in human resources to ensure skilled birth attendance during pregnancy and delivery.