Topic:
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Delegate Name: Jennasee Hollingworth
Approximately 800 women die every day from maternal health complications, many of which are preventable with access to proper healthcare. Maternal health refers to the health of people during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. There are eight countries that make up 50% of the world’s maternal mortality, which include but are not limited to India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Nations such as these, which are consistently seeing a disproportionate amount of maternal health-related deaths, would benefit from action taken by the United Nations.
In recent years, the maternal mortality rate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has decreased, but only slightly. Amidst war and violence in DRC, the medical needs of women are often undermined. The main action taken towards improving this issue is the collaboration between DRC’s government and non-governmental organizations. For example, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports the country by helping to provide basic emergency reproductive care in areas that lack it the most. Additionally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has made commitments to plans such as the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, which strives to increase the amount of children delivered by skilled personnel and increase contraception usage. DRC has also ratified Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which is a treaty considered as an international bill of rights for women.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is supportive of a worldwide decrease in maternal mortality. In terms of what should specifically be done in DRC, focusing on more urgent issues such as the alarming amount of violence would not only improve the standard of living in the country overall, but it would also improve maternal health indirectly. Developing solutions to violence this nation would benefit its women greatly. DRC is currently interested in aligning with the United States and France.
