A Global Social Contract to Reduce Maternal Mortality: The Human Rights Arguments and the Case of Uganda

This article examines the need for cooperation between a state and the international community when implementing right-to-health obligations and reducing maternal mortality. The authors use Uganda as a case study to highlight four important points about maternal mortality. First, that mobilizing resources is an important factor in reducing mortality. Second, that many states are failing their obligation to mobilize resources, and other states are failing their obligation to offer international assistance. Third, international health aid must become more reliable if domestic expenditure is expected to increase. Finally, that the "Roadmap on Shared Responsibility and Global Solidarity for AIDS, TB and Malaria Response in Africa" adopted by the African Union in 2012 should be an international invitation to conclude a global social contract for health, and ensure that both domestic and international obligations are fulfilled.