New Initiative Sets Out to Ensure 10 Million Safer Births Under the Patronage of Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark

Under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark, UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, and Danish NGO Maternity Foundation announced the 10 Million Safer Births Initiative in Abuja, Nigeria on 24 June, 2025. The initiative is driven by an ambitious commitment to support 10 million births across Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2030.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 70 per cent of all maternal deaths worldwide. Despite a 40 per cent decline in the global maternal mortality rate since 2000, progress has slowed, and multiple global crises now threaten to reverse these gains. Every two minutes, a woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes, and for every woman who dies, 20-30 suffer acute to severe disability — most of which are preventable.

Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark announced her patronage of the 10 Million Safer Births Initiative.

"No woman should risk life to give life," said The Queen. “I am honoured to announce my patronage of this very concrete initiative, which aims to ensure 10 million safer births by end 2030 across Sub-Saharan Africa."

​​The first phase of the initiative will be able to deliver targeted support to midwives and frontline health workers to strengthen maternal and newborn care in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.  

The support will include the scaling up of Maternity Foundation’s widely used Safe Delivery+ programme, which includes the free Safe Delivery App. The app provides healthcare professionals, particularly midwives in low-resource settings, with access to evidence-based guidelines and video demonstrations on preventative, routine, and emergency maternal and newborn care, on their mobile devices. This enables them to prevent or manage life-threatening situations more effectively, ultimately improving maternal and newborn health and survival rates. 

The Government of Denmark and the Gates Foundation are supporting the initiative.  Denmark will provide a DKK 32 million (USD 4.9 million) investment. The Gates Foundation intends to allocate an additional USD 1.5 million as part of its support to scaling up midwifery models of care under the Midwifery Accelerator initiative.

"Denmark is proud to support this bold, innovative initiative," said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. "Every woman has the right to give birth safely, and we are committed to making that a reality.”

“Healthy mothers and babies are the foundations of vibrant communities—and midwives play a key role in helping them thrive,” said Dr. Paulin Basinga, Africa Director of the Gates Foundation. “The 10 Million Safer Births initiative is about more than saving lives—it’s about equality. Too many women in Africa face life-threatening risks in childbirth simply because of where they live. By coming together across sectors and borders, we have a real opportunity to close that gap and transform care at the very start of life.”

“Access to quality midwifery care can spell the difference between life and death for women and their babies,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. “The 10 Million Safer Births Initiative will give midwives the tools to save lives in some of the most challenging settings. UNFPA is grateful to Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark and the Danish Government and Gates Foundation supporting this important effort to make childbirth safer.”

“We will not close the gap in maternal mortality by 2030 by doing the same as we always did. We need to rethink the way things are done. This initiative brings together innovation, data, and collaboration across sectors to strengthen maternal care where it’s needed most.,” said Anna Frellsen, CEO of Maternity Foundation. “Together, we can transform outcomes for millions of women and their newborns.”

The 10 Million Safer Births Initiative is a flagship programme implemented through UNFPA’s Maternal and Newborn Health Fund, which provides catalytic support to ensure that every woman, adolescent girl and newborn can access quality sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health services. 

Further information, please contact:

• Maternity Foundation: Helle Degn (based in Washington DC), helle@maternity.dk, Tel: +1 202 367 1572 / WhatsApp: + 45 30561551
• UNFPA: Eddie Wright (based in New York), ewright@unfpa.org, Tel. +1 917 831 2074
• Gates Foundation: Fatimah Alkali (based in Abuja Nigeria), Fatimah.alkali@gatesfoundation.org, Tel. +234 808 779 7701

About the 10 Million Safer Births Initiative

UNFPA and Maternity Foundation have launched the 10 Million Safer Births Initiative to improve access to quality care for mothers and support at least 10 million safer births across Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2030. The initiative builds upon the partners’ longstanding collaboration and combines UNFPA’s expertise in strengthening health systems and advancing care provided by midwives and Maternity Foundation’s proven digital Safe Delivery+ programme to build the capacity of healthcare professionals, such as midwives. The first phase begins in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Tanzania in collaboration with the national governments, with plans to scale across the region. 

About the partners

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, working in over 150 countries to ensure every pregnancy is wanted and every childbirth is safe. Through its Maternal and Newborn Health Fund and Start With Her strategy, UNFPA supports midwives, emergency care, family planning, and maternal death surveillance to improve maternal outcomes. HM The Queen of Denmark is Patron of UNFPA.

Maternity Foundation is an international NGO advancing safer births in fragile and remote settings. Its Safe Delivery+ programme has reached over 455,000 health professionals globally, supported by the Safe Delivery App—a free, evidence-based, offline-capable tool for midwives and frontline providers. HM The Queen of Denmark is Patron of Maternity Foundation.