Topic:
Country: Iraq
Delegate Name: Tejas Karumudi
World Health Organization
Maternal Mortality
Republic of Iraq
Tejas Karumudi
Forest Hills Eastern High School
According to the World Health Organization, maternal mortality is the death of a pregnant mother due to complications arising from pregnancy and/or childbirth. Preventable conditions such as preeclampsia, hemorrhage, and communicable infections contribute significantly to increased maternal mortality, but poorer areas such as sub-Saharan Africa lack healthcare systems to eliminate these avoidable risk factors. Also, pregnant women are less educated in developing countries, leading to unsafe abortions and a lack of proper self-care. As a result, poorer regions of the world experience higher rates of maternal mortality, with 700 women dying from pregnancy and childbirth per day in 2023. High maternal mortality causes many problems that negatively impact countries across the world. According to the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, infants whose mothers had died were less likely to survive up to their first birthday. Also, increased rates of maternal mortality resulted in the loss of caregivers for children, removing children’s access to food, shelter, and education. Furthermore, mothers play a crucial role in managing the home, and contribute heavily to household income. For instance, in sub-Saharan Africa, women provide food for their families by engaging in subsistence farming. Due to high rates of maternal mortality, financial instability can occur in many households, and countries could suffer from a loss of the women workforce. Therefore, maternal mortality is a major issue that can destroy family structures and impact the well-being of countries economically and socially. In response to the issue of maternal mortality, the World Health Organization partnered with supporting members of the United Nations to ensure that inequalities in healthcare and caregiving are addressed and remedied, more women can access universal health care, and more people are educated about maternal diseases and complications after childbirth. Additionally, the World Health Organization created Strategies for Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality to highlight Sustainable Development Goals for improving maternal health education and assistance programs. Therefore, the WHO created measures and policies to spread awareness about the increasing rate of maternal mortality and to advise countries on the improvement of maternal health.
Iraq is a country that faces challenges with maternal mortality, like many other developing countries, but Iraq is making an effort to improve maternal health. Iraq’s maternal mortality rate in 2023 was 66 per 100,000 births, which was a drastic reduction from Iraq’s maternal mortality rate in 2000 (152 per 100,000 births). Despite periods of political conflict and hostility, the Ministry of Health made maternal mortality a primary concern in the nation and works to educate the citizens about the prevention of maternal deaths. Specifically, the Ministry of Health is trying to spread awareness about common maternal diseases in Iraq, such as preeclampsia and thromboembolism, by adopting its own National Health and Reproductive Health Strategies (policies intended to identify maternal conditions and improve maternal health). Furthermore, local Iraqi doctors partnered with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq to effectively treat maternal conditions and increase life expectancy for mothers in Iraq. Along with intranational initiatives, the Republic of Iraq also collaborated with the WHO to address maternal mortality. For instance, the government of Iraq ratified the International Labour Organization Maternity Protection Convention, which is designed to protect the health of pregnant mothers. Lastly, the Iraqi government created a Maternal Death Surveillance and Response system and implemented the Early Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) to improve the monitoring of maternal and neonatal health. Despite progressive efforts to address and combat maternal mortality, Iraqi citizens, especially in remote areas such as the Kurdistan region, face challenges such as a lack of hospitals and higher patient-to-physician ratios. Therefore, Iraq requires assistance from the WHO to remedy these challenges and educate citizens about maternal health. Therefore, the issue of maternal mortality deeply concerns Iraq, but Iraq needs support from the WHO and UN programs to effectively address and solve maternal issues.
The Republic of Iraq urges the WHO and supporting countries to view the reduction of maternal mortality as a necessity and encourages countries to implement plans and initiatives that help pregnant mothers access healthcare and other resources. Iraq would like to see the international community develop solutions that are cost-effective and easily accessible for all countries so that developing countries can receive the necessary support to combat their own problems of maternal mortality. Lastly, Iraq desires that all countries that are part of the WHO will share research and medical resources so that all countries can effectively prevent maternal diseases and offer treatments for pregnant women. In summary, Iraq wants all countries to cooperate together and participate in the fight against maternal mortality.
