Queen Mary visits Nigeria and becomes patron of safer childbirth initiative

Queen Mary of Denmark has travelled to Nigeria, where it was announced that she would become the patron of “The 10 Million Safer Births Initiative”.

The initiative aims to provide up to 10 million women with access to safer childbirth by the end of 2030 across sub-Saharan Africa. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Danish NGO Maternity Foundation are behind the new initiative, which was presented to Queen Mary during her official visit to Nigeria.

According to the initiative, a woman dies from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes, with 70 per cent of these deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. The first phase of the initiative will take place in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Nigeria.

In a speech, Queen Mary said, “No woman should risk life to give life, and no woman should die giving birth when it is preventable. Sadly, this is not the reality. Every other minute, a woman dies due to causes related to pregnancy or childbirth. Every fourteen seconds, a newborn suffers the same fate. These numbers are a human tragedy and demand action. And today, we respond – by announcing the global initiative “10 Million Safer Births” here in Abuja. This initiative was launched last week in Ethiopia, and Tanzania will follow later this week.”

She added, “Women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights have long been a cause close to my heart, driven by a deep sense of what is right and fair. During my many years of advocating, I have often been left with a feeling of bewilderment; why is it so difficult to make progress on an agenda that touches us so fundamentally and deeply?”