Caesarean sections are the most frequent major abdominal surgery performed in the world today. The worldwide proportion of women who give birth by caesarean section has steadily increased from 6% in 1990 to 21% in 2018 and is estimated to reach 30% in 2030. Projections indicate that 38 million women will give birth by caesarean section in 2030, and 88% of these operations will occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
A caesarean section is a complex operation that requires a series of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative steps that can be broadly classified into surgical, medical and anaesthetic interventions. As with any surgery, caesarean sections are associated with short- and long-term risks which can extend many years beyond the current delivery and affect the health of the woman, her child and future pregnancies. These risks are higher in women with limited access to comprehensive obstetric care.
To improve the quality of care, safety and efficiency, as well as training and research on caesarean sections, it is important to standardize practices based on the best available evidence. At present, there is no international evidence-based consensus about what precise steps should be used when performing a caesarean section, and wide variations exist in practices within and between surgeons, hospitals and countries.
In this context, the World Health Organization (WHO) will develop recommendations for evidence-based interventions to conduct caesarean sections. The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for WHO Maternal and Perinatal Health (MPH) guidelines prioritized the development of this guideline in May 2024.
A Guideline Development Group (GDG) meeting of a surgical subgroup will be held from 10 to 12 June 2025 to review and agree on the surgical interventions to be addressed in these forthcoming recommendations. In keeping with the requirements of the WHO Guidelines Review Committee and the WHO Compliance, Risk Management and Ethics Office, we are posting online short biographies of the GDG members . The listed candidates have also submitted a Declaration of Interest form stating any conflict of interests. WHO has applied its internal processes to ensure that the performance of the above tasks by members of this group will be transparent and without any significant conflict of interests (academic, financial or other) that could affect the credibility of the guideline.
