On August 19, the world came together to mark World Humanitarian Day—a time to honor humanitarian workers and reflect on the urgent needs of people living through crisis and conflict. This year’s theme, #ActForHumanity, strongly resonates with our work in maternal and newborn health. As highlighted in the 2025 Countdown to 2030 report published in The Lancet, conflict, displacement, and fragile health systems continue to be defining barriers to achieving global commitments to women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health.
The statistics are stark: 29 crisis-affected countries account for 58% of global maternal deaths, 39% of newborn deaths, and 41% of stillbirths, despite representing only a fraction of the world’s births. Behind these numbers are women and newborns dying from preventable causes simply because basic care is out of reach. Humanitarian emergencies shrink access to skilled health workers, break down supply chains, and delay or deny life-saving care. Yet in these most challenging circumstances, local health workers and communities are often the first, and sometimes the only, responders. Their resilience and dedication are a beacon of hope, but they cannot succeed without sustained global solidarity. The solution lies not in short-term fixes, but in long-term investment: protecting health facilities and personnel, building resilient systems, empowering communities to deliver care even in the midst of crisis, and generating the data and evidence needed to keep maternal and newborn health a priority even in contexts where resources are stretched and attention is fragmented.
Let us carry forward the spirit of World Humanitarian Day and continue to call for smarter investments, stronger partnerships, and unwavering commitment to ensuring every birth is safe—no matter where it happens. Every mother and every newborn deserves a fighting chance, no matter where they are born, even when the world around them is in turmoil.
Dr. Cheikh Mbacke Faye
Head, West Africa Regional Office, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Director, Countdown to 2030
AlignMNH Steering Committee Member
Ms. Jihan Salad
Expert Reviewer, Learning by Sharing Portal (SRHR–UHC), WHO–UNFPA
AlignMNH Steering Committee Member