What is the World Bank Doing about Safe Motherhood and Maternal Health?

Improving maternal health is a corporate priority of the Bank.  The World Bank has been a leader in safe motherhood at the country level as well as at the international level.  The Bank supports projects aimed at the broader goals of alleviating poverty, including the encouragement of smaller families and older age at marriage, the provision of widespread primary schooling and wider access to health facilities, and efforts to lower fertility and infant morality, all of which have significantly improved women’s health and status. 

The Bank is capable of influencing health systems and outcomes through its policy dialogue and projects.  Through its experience, the Bank has learned how to work with countries to develop more effective and sustainable safe motherhood programs through policy generation, policy enforcement, health systems reformation, education campaigns and other community-based initiatives.

 

Below is a list of some of the World Bank projects with a Safe Motherhood component in them.