New Delhi, September 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Fashion designer and entrepreneur Masaba Gupta has been appointed as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) India Advocate for Maternal Health for a year-long campaign focused on improving awareness around women’s health during pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood.
The appointment comes as India records its lowest-ever Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), at 87 deaths per lakh live births during 2022-2024, according to UNFPA India.
UNFPA said India has reduced its MMR by 73 per cent between 2000 and 2023, putting the country on course to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing maternal mortality to below 70 deaths per lakh live births before 2030.
The organisation attributed the progress to sustained government investment over more than two decades in institutional deliveries, skilled birth attendance and networks of frontline health workers under the National Health Mission.
Masaba’s advocacy will focus particularly on the period after childbirth, including maternal exhaustion, recovery, stigma and mental health. Through digital advocacy, public engagement and on-ground initiatives, she will seek to bring greater attention to the physical and emotional challenges women face during pregnancy, childbirth and the early stages of motherhood.
“Nobody warns you what motherhood actually costs a woman: physically, mentally, socially. The moment the baby arrives, all the attention shifts to the child, and the mother, who’s just been through the most demanding thing a body can do, quietly disappears from the conversation,” Masaba said.
She added that she chose to work with UNFPA because of its long-term work involving health workers and healthcare systems, and said she wanted to use her public platform to raise issues women often discuss privately.
UNFPA India Representative Andrea M. Wojnar said the decline in maternal mortality demonstrates what can be achieved through sustained public investment, strong healthcare systems and committed health workers.
“India has made extraordinary progress, but reaching zero preventable maternal deaths means going further: ensuring that every woman can access quality care, make informed choices and receive the support she needs before, during, and after childbirth,” Wojnar said.
She added that Masaba could help make conversations around maternal health more visible and relatable while reinforcing the focus on women’s right to survive, recover and thrive.
The 37-year-old designer is the founder of the fashion label House of Masaba. She is the daughter of actor Neena Gupta and former West Indies cricketer Viv Richards.
Masaba joins other public figures associated with UNFPA India’s advocacy efforts, including Kriti Sanon, National Ambassador for Gender Equality, and Soha Ali Khan, Advocate for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
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