Human Rights Council
Eleventh Session
Resolution 11/8. Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights
Reaffirming the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of
the International Conference on Population and Development and their Review Conferences and
the targets and commitments regarding the reduction of maternal mortality and universal access
to reproductive health, including those contained in the 2000 Millennium Declaration
(General Assembly resolution 55/2) and the 2005 World Summit Outcome (General Assembly
resolution 60/1),
Reaffirming also the Millennium Development Goals, in particular the Goals on improving
maternal health, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child and infant
mortality and the development of a global partnership,1
Recalling the obligations of States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the
Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families,
Convinced that increased political will and commitment, cooperation and technical
assistance at the international and national levels are urgently required to reduce the
unacceptably high global rate of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity,
Recognizing the leading role of the World Health Organization in maternal health and the
work under the annual World Health Assembly agenda item on the monitoring of the
achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals,
Recognizing also that the unacceptably high global rate of preventable maternal mortality
and morbidity is a health, development and human rights challenge, and that a human rights
analysis of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and the integration of a human rights
perspective in international and national responses to maternal mortality and morbidity could
contribute positively to the common goal of reducing this rate, with a view to eliminating
preventable maternal mortality and morbidity,
Welcoming the ongoing efforts of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies to
highlight the human rights aspects of preventable maternal mortality and morbidity, including
those of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Human Rights
Committee, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on Economic, Social and
1
Millennium Development Goals 5, 3, 4 and 8, respectively.