In 2013, around the world an estimated 289,000 women died of maternal causes. Almost all of those deaths were preventable. Preventable deaths are most common among women living in the poorest countries, where health services are weak, and women are more often subject to early and frequent childbearing, unattended deliveries and sexually transmitted infections including HIV.

This report emphasizes UNFPA's commitment to achieve universal access to SRH, full realization of human rights and gender equality, and worldwide reduction in maternal mortality.