UN OWG Proposed Target 3.1
RATING: As written this is an unrealistic target. The Commission for Investing in Health, 2013 (CIH) recommends a target of 94 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030 as a realistic, but ambitious stretch target for MMR. With more realistic targets for MMR this target would be rated FAIR. It is relatively cost-effective to reduce MMR in lower income countries through spread of basic health interventions. To reduce MMR beyond this requires more costly interventions such as improved health facilities and registered attendants at birth.
Better wording: by 2030 reduce the maternal mortality ratio to less than 94 per 100,000 live births
Setting the Right Global Goals
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You can read about our prioritization project, setting smart, cost-effective goals in this op-ed published around the world including Turkey, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Uganda, South Korea, Costa Rica and the Philippines.
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In our recent report, not just the target above, but all 169 targets have been assessed by 60 teams of the world’s top economists. The targets have been categorized into five ratings based on evidence of economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits. While we applaud that the UN Open Working Group's final outcome document contains 43 fewer targets than the previous document, we are concerned that many targets have simply been combined, therefore reducing the number of both phenomenal and poor targets assessed according to our cost-benefit analysis. Our new assessment includes suggestions for how these can be improved as reported in this article by the Financial Times.