UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, celebrates the heroic and life-saving work that midwives do every day, often in very trying circumstances. Thanks to midwives, millions of women each year are able to exercise their right to sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning. These services help ensure wanted, healthy pregnancies and safe births.

Yet, far too many women lack access to these services. As a result, each year more than 300,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth, some 3 million babies do not survive the first month of life, and another two and a half million babies are stillborn. Most of them could have been saved by the care of well-trained midwives within the framework of strong health systems.

UNFPA strongly supports the training and work of midwives in more than 100 countries. Since 2009, UNFPA has worked with partners to support over 600 midwifery schools, educating more than 80,000 midwives. We have also strengthened national midwifery associations in 75 countries and helped enhance the regulatory framework for midwifery practice to ensure accountability.

This year's theme of the International Day of the Midwife, "Midwives, Mothers and Families: Partners for Life!", underscores the critical role midwives play. Midwives save lives, support and promote healthy families, and empower women and couples to choose whether, when and how often to have children. They also help avert sexually transmitted infections and prevent disabilities like obstetric fistula, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and female genital mutilation.

Preventing maternal and newborn deaths and disabilities and empowering women to make informed, healthy choices and exercise their rights is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. To make this happen, we need to expand midwifery programmes, maintaining the highest global standards, and promote an enabling environment for midwives to effectively serve the needs of women and their families.

On this day, I urge all governments and development partners to join UNFPA in supporting midwives so more women survive and they, their families and communities thrive.

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Tetum Version

Parteira sira, Inan sira no Familia sira: Parseiru ba Moris

Estetementu husi Diretór Ezekutivu Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin ba Loron Mundial ba Parteira, 5 Maiu 2017

FNUP, Fundus Nasoins Unidas ba Populasaun, selebra serbisu heroi no salva vida ne'ebé maka parteira sira halo loro-loron, dala barak iha situasaun difisil. Obrigada ba parteira sira, kada tinan feto millaun maka bele ezerse sira ninia direitu ba asisténsia saúde seksuál no reprodutiva, inklui planeamentu familiar voluntáriamente. Asisténsia hirak ne'e ajuda asegura isin rua ne'ebé ho hakarak no partu seguru.

Maibé, feto barak maka menus asesu ba asisténsia hirak ne'e. Ida ne'e rezulta, kada tinan liu feto 300,000 mate durante isin rua no partu, bebé millaun 3 labele moris iha fulan primeiru iha sira ninia moris, no millaun rua ho balu bebé maka mate tanba abortu. Sira barak bele salva liu husi asisténsia parteira sira ne'ebé treinadu iha enkuadramentu sistema saúde ne'ebé forte.

FNUP fornese suporta makas iha treinamentu no serbisu hirak ne'ebé parteira sira halo iha nasaun liu 100. Dezde 2009, FNUP serbisu tiha ona ho parseiru sira atu suporta liu 600 eskola parteira, fo edukasaun ba parteira sira ema 80,000 liu. Ami mos haforsa asosiasaun parteira iha nasaun 75 no ajuda hasae enkuadramentu ba pratika parteira atu asegura akontabilidade.

Tema ba Loron Internasionál tinan ida ne'e maka "Parteira sira, Inan sira no Família sira: Parseiru ba Moris" subliña papél krítiku parteira nian. Parteira salva vida, suporta no promove família saudavel, no haforsa feto sira no kazais sira atu hili bainhira no oinsá atu iha oan. Sira mós ajuda hamenus infesaun hada'et liu husi relasaun seksuál no prevene defisiente hanesan obstétrika fistula, tranzmisaun HIV husi inan-ba-oan no mutilasaun jenitál feto nian.

Prevene mortalidade inan no oan defisiente no haforsa feto sira atu halo desizaun ne'ebé informadu, desizaun saudavel no ezerse sira ninia direitu maka xave atu atinji Objetivu Dezenvolvimentu Sustentavel iha tinan 2030. Atu realiza ida ne'e, ita presiza atu habelar programa parteira nian, mantein padraun global, no promove ambiente suportivu ba parteira sira atu serve ho efetivamente nesesidade feto sira no família sira nian.

Iha loron ida ne'e, Ha'u bolu atensaun governu hotu no parseiru dezenvolvimentu sira atu mai hamutuk ho FNUP hodi suporta parteira sira nune'e feto barak bele moris no sira, sira ninia família no komunidade sei moris diak.

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