Trends in maternal mortality : 1990 to 2013 - estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank, and the United Nations population division

A number of initiatives that commenced in recent years are geared towards achievement of the fifth millennium development goal (MDG 5: improving maternal health), most notably the launch of the global strategy for women's and children's health in 2010 by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General. Measuring the MDG 5 target of reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by three quarters between 1990 and 2015 remains a challenge. Accordingly, the maternal mortality estimation inter-agency group (MMEIG), comprising the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Population Division (UNPD), and the World Bank,…