A new study has suggested that there has been big progress worldwide in reducing the number of deaths of women in pregnancy and childbirth.
Experts say the improvement is down to two decades of campaigning for better maternal health services.
According to the research, published in the British journal The Lancet, such deaths have been reduced by nearly a third since 1980.
Countries reporting the best progress included China, Egypt, Ecuador and Bolivia.
The Lancet editor Dr Richard Horton said he was confident that the Millennium Development Goal of 2015, set by world leaders, could be met.
