Abstract
At the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) period, it is important to reflect on the progress made during the previous Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) era, and to look forward to advancements needed. Notably, while the global maternal mortality ratio has declined by 45% since 1990, it is far short of the 75% reduction target set by MDG 5, causing maternal health to be the most
lagging of the development goals. In this next phase of the global development agenda, maternal health has again been prioritized; the very first target of the health-related SDGs is focused on reducing the number of women who die in pregnancy or childbirth to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030 (currently, 239 mothers die per 100,000 live births in the developing world).
