MP backs Mother's Day call by World Health Organisation

Diana Johnson MP joined international supermodel Liya Kebede today (Friday 16 March) to back a six point action plan to stop the death toll of women and children in developing countries.

The Hull North MP signed up to the campaign by the World Health Organisation and Commonwealth Secretariat calling on Governments worldwide to take action to "Make Every Day Mother's Day."

The campaign is being launched with a two day international conference at the House of Commons in the run-up to Mother's Day on 18 March. Diana Johnson MP and Liya Kebede signed a giant Mother's Day card.

The "Make Every Day Mother's Day" campaign calls for:

Skilled care for all women during pregnancy, childbirth and in the postnatal period.

Community involvement in health care

Global networks to improve infant and maternal mortality.

Better infrastructure for health services in buildings, transport staff.

Action to promote safe pregnancies and safer motherhood

Governments to take the lead in fighting the high death rates among new mothers and their babies.

World-wide a woman dies every minute from easily preventable complications of pregnancy, and each year 4,000,000 babies die in the first 28 days of life. The international community agreed targets to cut infant and maternal mortality. However, in some countries the situation has got worse.

Diana Johnson MP said: "Make Every Day Mothers Day" aims to cut the tragic and needless loss of life among women and their newborn babies. This call to action will make sure that families around the world get to celebrate many more mothers days in the years to come."