Topic: 2025 – Maternal Mortality
Country: Iran
Delegate Name: Jada Wynn
Maternal mortality is an unfortunate circumstance that many women have to face. Across the globe many women have died during childbirth. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), about 260,000 maternal deaths were accounted for back in 2023. One of the many causes for these many maternal deaths is the lack of funds for proper medical care in countries to begin with, with approximately 92% of all maternal deaths occurring in low- and lower-middle-income countries in 2023. Lack of actual trained professionals being present during a mother going into labor is also a problem. According to the same World Health Organization article, in high-income countries 99% of all births benefit from having a trained mid-wife, doctor, or nurse. Unfortunately, low-income countries don’t get that same privilege, with only 73% in low income and 84% in lower-middle-income countries being assisted by such skilled health personnel.
The Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes the issue of maternal mortality and has made great lengths to fix this issue by creating the Iranian Maternal Mortality Surveillance System. With this national system, Iran is able to obtain each maternal death case to manage public health functions and monitor their impact. Since the installation of this system in 2000, it was one of the many factors that helped reduce the MMR in this country, going from the range of 160(113-258) in 1985, to 16(10-22) in 2023(according to a health data review on Iran from the World Health Organization). With this system, this will greatly help Iran review the causes of maternal deaths and help the medical system improve the ways of how the levels of maternity mortality can further decrease.
The delegation of Iran strongly suggests that other delegations look into implementing a similar surveillance system in their respective countries. Adding a system where it monitors data of maternal cases will help public health organizations look into the causes of these deaths and use the data to create solutions to prevent the maternal mortality rate from increasing ever again. The delegation of Iran is looking forward to having the opportunity to work with other delegations to help create solutions to this problem.
Works Cited
World Health Organization. “Maternal Mortality.” WHO, April 7th, 2025, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
World Health Organization. “Islamic Republic of Iran highlights national plans to improve primary health care on World Patient Safety Day.” September 22nd, 2021, https://www.emro.who.int/iran/news/islamic-republic-of-iran-highlights-national-plans-to-improve-primary-health-care-on-world-patient-safety-day.html
National Library of Medicine. “Information management in Iranian Maternal Mortality Surveillance System.” July 25th, 2017, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5587013/
World Health Organization. “Iran(Islamic Republic of), 2023, https://data.who.int/countries/364
