Women Deliver

Women Deliver is a global advocacy organization that works to generate political commitment and financial investment for fulfilling Millennium Development Goal 5, an initiative focused on improving maternal health. The organization is based in New York and uses a multifactorial approach involving access to a healthy diet, clean water and sanitation, health services, and appropriate education during pregnancy and childbirth. It is targeted towards reducing maternal mortality, achieving universal access to reproductive health, and improving the lives of girls and women globally.

Profile and history

Women Deliver was founded by Jill Sheffield in 2007 and it was officially launched at its Women Deliver conference which convened nearly 2,000 clinicians, advocates, policymakers, and businesspeople involved in maternal and reproductive health. The group's slogan is, “Invest in women, it pays.”

Women Deliver Conferences

The first Women Deliver conference was held in London in October 2007. Nearly 2,000 participants (advocates, researchers, policymakers, and global leaders) from 115 countries attended. The conference marked the 20th anniversary of the Safe Motherhood Initiative to support investment in maternal and newborn health.

On June 7 to June 9, 2010, Women Deliver hosted a second global conference in Washington, D.C., drawing nearly 3,500 attendees from 146 countries. The meeting allowed organizations and stakeholders to share best practices and lessons learned and reinvigorate the fight for better health for girls and women.

Women Deliver's third global conference, Women Deliver 2013, was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from May 28-30, 2013. With more than 4,500 participants from 149 countries, the conference was the largest meeting of the decade to focus on the health and empowerment of girls and women.

The fourth Women Deliver's global conference was held in Copenhagen from 16-19 May 2016 following the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launch. The conference's focus was on implementing the SDGs as they relate to girls and women, with a specific emphasis on health - in particular maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and rights - and the inter-connections with gender equality, education, environment, and economic empowerment.

The 2019 conference was held in Vancouver, Canada on 2-6 June. The sixth conference was held on 17-20 July 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Women Deliver's approach

Women Deliver fights for greater investment, increased political will, and overall improved health for girls and women. It raises awareness by highlighting research and field projects, training youth advocates, engaging policymakers and the private sector on maternal health issues, and creating spaces for collaboration and idea generation.

Controversy

In 2020 the organization issued a public apology after some staff spoke out about a culture of racism; they also launched an internal investigation to look at claims of a 'white savior complex', 'white faux feminism' and toxic cliquish behavior. The investigation was completed four months later and noted that no one single person was responsible for the "challenging" environment; one staff member called this a 'slap in the face' to junior and mid-level staff. The then-president Katja Iversen resigned and the group issued a commitment to change the working environment.

Publications

• Focus on 5: Women's Health and the MDGs (translations available)
• Why It's the Right Time: Moving on Reproductive Health Goals by Focusing on Adolescent Girls
• Targeting poverty and gender inequality to improve maternal health
• Unpacking Climate Insights from WD2023 to Drive COP28 Action