At the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference 2026 (IMNHC 2026) held March 23-26, the Countdown to 2030 for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health initiative engaged delegates, calling for a shift from measuring maternal and newborn health coverage to managing systems.
The Countdown to 2030 team convened a side session on building country capacity to analyze and use evidence to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths.
Key highlights from the session include:
✅ A demonstration on the value of building country analytical capacity to assess data quality, integrate multiple sources, and generate actionable insights on maternal and newborn health.
✅ The maternal–stillbirth–neonatal mortality transition framework shows that countries can benchmark their current stage, learn from positive outliers, and use this to guide future MNH strategies and subnational action
✅ A showcase of practical country experiences in using Countdown to 2030 analyses to inform health sector reviews, strategic planning, and program improvement.
✅ Presentation of key multi-country findings on maternal and newborn health and equity, and a discussion on what they imply for policy and prioritization.
✅ An interactive dialogue among countries and global partners on how to strengthen the uptake and use of data for decision-making and accountability.
Additionally, the team presented in various side sessions. Dr. Rornald Kananura Muhumuza from APHRC showcased Countdown’s harmonized health facility data analysis system that is supporting the monitoring of maternal, newborn, and child health indicators across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Elizabeth Hazel from JHU focused on improving quality across the continuum of care, highlighting how this approach has revealed critical gaps in maternal and newborn health coverage across more than 13 countries.
Prof. Agbessi Amouzou from JHU contributed to a session on measuring better for maternal, newborn, and stillbirth outcomes, exploring where we are and what lies ahead. He reflected on Countdown’s work with countries, the persistent capacity challenges in maternal and newborn data, and key priorities for the future.
We must shift from measuring coverage to managing systems. To achieve this, countries need data as well as the capacity, institutional support, and political commitment to interpret, use, and act on it. Countdown to 2030 supports countries not only by producing analyses, but also by strengthening their capacity to translate evidence into priority-setting, planning, accountability, and action.