Maternal Mortality: Submission to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

This submission to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) describes the results, impact and lessons learned from "Rights or Privileges? Fiscal Commitment to the Rights to Health, Food and Education in Guatemala," a CESR joint project with the Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales (ICEFI).

This new analysis is in response to a request by OHCHR for initiatives exemplifying good or effective practices in adopting a human rights-based approach to eliminating preventable maternal mortality and morbidity. UN Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/15/17 called for the OHCHR to prepare an analytical compilation of effective practices. 

Guatemala has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in Latin America. The "Rights or Privileges" project provides invaluable lessons for future efforts to monitor and shape maternal health policy from a human rights perspective. The importance of improving maternal health for women is underscored by the urgent need to meet Millennium Development Goal 5, currently the furthest off-target of all eight MDG goals as the 2015 deadline approaches.