UN launches $25bn plan to end preventable deaths of mothers and children

The pledges of money were announced in New York

Medical personnel from Médecins Sans Frontières assess the health of a girl, who is accompanied by her mother, in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia (Unicef)

A host of international leaders gathered in New York to hear United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announce more than $25bn in funds to help end preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents by 2030.

“We have shown that our partnership can yield concrete results. I, and the entire UN system, remain dedicated to saving and improving the lives of the most vulnerable amongst us,” he said.

“The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, which I am proud to launch today, will help to build resilient and healthy societies.”

The commitments are expected to grow significantly in the coming years, and include new policies and partnerships from 40 countries and more than 100 international organisations, philanthropic foundations, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector.

The commitments include $3.3bn from the United States, $2.6bn from Canada, $2.5bn from Sweden, $1.3bn from Germany, $420m from Norway, $326m from the Netherlands, and $300 million from the Republic of Korea.

According to the World Health Organisation, at least 800 women died each day in 2013 from complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Worldwide, women and children are 14 times more likely to die in a disaster than men.

The Strategy builds on 15 years of progress under the Millennium Development Goals and the Every Woman Every Child movement, a partnership launched in 2010 to mobilise and intensify international and national action by governments, the private sector and civil society to address the major health challenges facing women and children, the UN said.

Among those to address the event at the United Nations Uhuru Kenyatta, the president of Kenya, Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Graca Machel, Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Board and the widow of Nelson Mandela.

“The most important thing has been the commitment from all levels of government and the global support for our aims,” said Mr Desalegn.