On World Health Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is raising the alarm about the dire state of maternal and neonatal health in Yemen. Under the theme Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures, WHO is  underscoring the urgent need for scaled-up interventions to save lives and protect the well-being of Yemen's most vulnerable. 

Decades of conflict and a spiraling humanitarian crisis have decimated Yemen's health system. The statistics paint a stark picture of suffering and loss:

• maternal mortality reached 183 deaths per 100 000 live births in 2020, a devastating regression in maternal health outcomes;
• preventable complications such as haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia/eclampsia remain leading causes of maternal deaths, claiming the lives of women who should be experiencing the joy of motherhood;
• prematurity, asphyxia, pneumonia and sepsis contribute to unacceptably high neonatal mortality rates; and
• malnutrition and anaemia are rampant among women of reproductive age, jeopardizing their health and the health of their babies.