UNITED NATIONS, Nairobi – To help ensure that every woman and newborn receives quality care before, during and after childbirth, the Gates Foundation has announced new support of US $3.5 million for UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
The investment will help strengthen midwifery, improve access to life-saving medicines and supplies, and mobilize greater financing and political commitment in five priority countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Every two minutes, a woman dies from preventable causes related to pregnancy or childbirth. Most of these deaths happen because health systems are too weak, midwives are too few, and basic supplies like medicines and equipment are unavailable or of poor quality. Advocacy and leadership are critical to change this, and to secure the political will and financing that ensure women can give birth safely.
Implemented in alignment with UNFPA’s Maternal and Newborn Health Fund, under the Start with Her Strategy. It will also strengthen the ‘Every Woman, Every Newborn, Everywhere’ initiative, which brings country, regional and global partners together for high-impact interventions that accelerate progress towards ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
The new support from the Gates Foundation is designed to accelerate country-led actions to improve maternal and newborn health infrastructure and care, and to do so amid a tightening funding environment that requires the mobilization of sustainable financing and investment.
Turning commitment into action
UNFPA will work with governments, parliamentarians and other stakeholders to keep maternal and newborn health high on the political agenda. By turning advocacy into budget-backed investments in midwifery, ensuring essential medicines are available, and improving quality of care. Advocacy matters because it transforms awareness into action, securing the policies, budgets and accountability needed to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
Strengthening midwifery models of care
In the five focus countries, UNFPA will advance the Midwifery Accelerator, a global initiative launched together with the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), Jhpiego, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Accelerator aims to elevate midwifery as the cornerstone of maternal and newborn health.
Through South-South learning and innovative digital training – for example the Maternity Foundation’s Safe Delivery+ platform – midwives will gain new skills and access continuous professional development, helping them save more lives in delivery rooms every day.
Expanding access to life-saving commodities
UNFPA will also help countries to secure and finance quality-assured maternal and newborn health commodities, removing policy and regulatory barriers that prevent their availability.
“Too many women still face preventable risks in pregnancy and childbirth,” said Julia Bunting, UNFPA Programme Division Director. “This support will enable UNFPA to turn evidence into action, by elevating midwives, ensuring life-saving commodities are available and quality-assured, and strengthening domestic resource mobilization efforts. Together with governments and partners, we can make every birth safer for women and babies.”
Over the next two years, UNFPA, with funding from the Gates Foundation will work to drive measurable progress, supporting countries to deliver on their commitments to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
