UN Population Report presented in Rome

(ANSA) - Rome, December 3 - Some 507 women and girls worldwide die each day during pregnancy or childbirth according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) State of World Population 2015 report presented in Rome on Thursday.
    Roughly three fifths of maternal deaths during childbirth occur in 'fragile' countries or ones facing 'emergencies', the report said. Further, one quarter of people needing humanitarian assistance in 2015 were women or girls of reproductive age. "The ten countries with the highest maternal mortality rate are affected by or just emerging from conflicts," said UNFPA representative Giulia Vallese. "In this kind of situation the risk and vulnerabilities for women and girls are disproportionately high, while the services and support available to them are disproportionately low" she added.
    "Providing services can therefore not only be a question of life and death but also of the right to dignity for millions of women and girls."