Women Deliver demonstrated international consensus around the three pillars of saving the lives of women and newborns.

In order to reduce maternal mortality—and to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5 and consequently all the interrelated MDGs—the international community must provide:

• Comprehensive reproductive health care
• Skilled care during and immediately after pregnancy and childbirth
• Emergency care when life-threatening complications develop

Every government and donor needs to prioritize and support these three pillars, within the context of global commitments to strengthening health systems, realizing human rights, involving communities, and prioritizing the needs of the poor and marginalized.  Successful implementation of these three critical interventions requires redoubled political will, new resources, effective planning, and on-going monitoring, evaluation, and accountability.