The Head of Maternal Division at WHO headquarters was reviewing the status of the fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 5) on maternal health. The MDG 5 called for improvements in maternal health by reducing Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by 75% between 1990 and 2015. As per the WHO estimates, the global MMR in 1990 was 380 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The MDG 5 target was therefore to achieve a global MMR of 95 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015. A recent review of the MDG 5 status highlighted the failure of many developing countries in achieving the target. The head of the Maternal Division at the WHO called a meeting to discuss the review report. She wanted to know which developing countries needed additional attention to reduce MMR.