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New York, NY, October 6, 2025 —  Ahead of the first-ever World Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH) Day, marked on October 5, the ̽����ѡ (̽����ѡ) is proud to announce the launch of a new global initiative—Safer Births in Crises (SBC)—to address the preventable causes of maternal and newborn deaths in crisis-affected settings.

In partnership with International Medical Corps, Jhpiego, and UNFPA, and with generous support from the Matariki Fund for Women under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern, the SBC consortium will focus on scaling access to lifesaving care for women and newborns in some of the world’s most fragile contexts—including South Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Papua New Guinea.

Conflict and disaster continue to weaken health systems and restrict access to essential maternal care, particularly for displaced and crisis-affected populations. Every year, an estimated 14 million women experience PPH— the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, accounting for 27% of maternal deaths. Nearly 80% of PPH-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where humanitarian crises further exacerbate these risks.

"We live in a time plagued by humanitarian crises, where change often feels beyond our reach. But these deaths are preventable.  This new consortium takes solutions to the front line, not just by filling a critical funding gap, but by delivering support to thousands of women in crises who will no longer face losing their lives in childbirth as a result,” said Dame Jacinda Ardern.  

Despite global progress—maternal mortality has declined by 47% over the past two decades—these gains have largely bypassed conflict-affected populations. In places where the ̽����ѡ operates, maternal mortality remains up to five times higher than the global average.

“There is an epidemic of preventable maternal deaths during childbirth in conflict zones, and it is way past time to address it.” said David Miliband, President and CEO of the ̽����ѡ. “Preventing maternal deaths is not only a moral imperative, but also a catalyst for long-term development. When women survive childbirth, families thrive, economies grow, and children—especially girls—are more likely to stay in school and break cycles of poverty. The Safer Births in Crises initiative is a vital step toward ensuring that innovations in maternal health reach the places that need them most.”

The SBC consortium will:

• Strengthen national and sub-national health systems in crisis-affected countries to deliver essential postpartum hemorrhage  medicines, and timely treatment.
• Integrate the use of new and innovative tools to measure blood loss, proven to improve early and accurate diagnosis, and therefore more rapid access to lifesaving drugs.
• Test and refine innovative service delivery models tailored to humanitarian settings, and disseminate operational learnings to inform  global policy and practice.

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