Topic: 2025 – Maternal Mortality
Country: Russian Federation
Delegate Name: Matthew Gascon
Country: The Russian Federation
Delegate: Matthew Gascon
School: Forest Hills Central High School
Committee: World Health Organization
Topic: Maternal Mortality
Maternal mortality remains a persistent worldwide health challenge despite significant efforts by the World Health Organization to fight it. The WHO has supported member states through measures like standards for obstetric care and the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health. Unfortunately, major disparities continue to this day. The MMR in low-income countries in 2023 was 346 per 100K live births compared to 10 per 100K live births in high-income countries. Shortages of qualified medical personnel, lack of access to critical medicines, socioeconomic inequality, and gaps in infrastructure all impede progress. The WHO needs to have coordinated international action to fight this issue.
The Russian Federation has made reducing maternal mortality a priority within its national healthcare system. Since 1990, the Russian Federation has reduced maternal mortality from 47.4 deaths per 100,000 births to 10.6 deaths per 100,000 births. The Russian Federation’s large size and diverse geography make delivering healthcare to everyone a challenge. Nevertheless, the country has implemented numerous strategies to improve the quality of maternal care and decrease mortality rates. The nation has an advanced 3-level perinatal care system to ensure the most vulnerable babies receive the quality of care they deserve. Specialized clinical guidelines for serious pregnancy conditions, like the guidelines developed for preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders introduced in 2013, have helped to decrease the mortality rate. On a regional level, many areas have developed road maps featuring plans to tackle maternal mortality, and they include measures like improved diagnostic technology and increased investment in the training of specialists to ensure better lives for Russian mothers and their children. In addition, the Russian Federation has always been supportive of current and past WHO efforts to fight maternal mortality, including a grant exceeding US$15,000,000 in 2020 to help the WHO in improving maternal and neonatal care around the world.
Moving forward, the Russian Federation wants to see the World Health Organization promote increased access to quality maternal and neonatal healthcare, particularly in developing countries with limited resources. The Russian Federation advocates for specialized perinatal care centers, increased training of healthcare professionals, and the global dissemination of evidence-based guidelines for managing pregnancy complications and other potential maternal care issues. The WHO should also address the social determinants of health. Family planning and education, especially in rural or less developed areas, will help ensure all mothers get the care they deserve. The Russian Federation also encourages the WHO to recommend improved monitoring and data collection for maternal mortality. Having more data, and especially more reliable data, will help guide proper interventions within each country. The Russian Federation is willing to provide its expertise and technology to help fight against maternal mortality.
At the same time, the WHO must respect national sovereignty. Programs must be adapted to each country’s unique social, cultural, economic, and geographic contexts. The WHO needs to be a collaborative partner willing to help out any member state while respecting national desires. By combining effective, evidence-based programs with respect for all nations’ priorities, the Russian Federation gladly seeks to support long-lasting reductions in maternal mortality worldwide.
