Women’s and Children’s Health in Conflict Settings, a series published in The Lancet in January 2021, aims to improve understanding of and address the special requirements of providing sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition services in conflict settings.  Led by academic co-investigators and partners affiliated with the Bridging Research & Action in Conflict Settings for the Health of Women & Children (BRANCH) Consortium, the series synthesizes existing evidence with new modelling and insights from a range of local research partners, humanitarian agencies, and civil society organizations.

Some key findings:

• Armed conflict affected at least 630 million women and children worldwide in 2017 and contributed to more than 10 million deaths among children under 5 years of age over 20 years.
• The changing nature of war complicates humanitarian access and the provision of health services for women and children. However, experiences in countries like Syria, Pakistan, and Colombia may provide context-specific innovative ways forward.

The Series includes four original research articles and two commentaries:

• The political and security dimensions of the humanitarian health response to violent conflict (Paul H Wise et al, for the BRANCH Consortium)
• The effects of armed conflict on the health of women and children (Eran Bendavid et al, for the BRANCH Consortium)
• Delivering health interventions to women, children, and adolescents in conflict settings: what have we learned from ten country case studies? (Neha S Singh et al, and the BRANCH Consortium Steering Committee)
• Delivering health and nutrition interventions for women and children in different conflict contexts: a framework for decision making on what, when, and how (Michelle F Gaffey et al, and the BRANCH Consortium Steering Committee)
• Commentary – Doing better for women and children in armed conflict settings (Zulfiqar A Bhutta et al)
• Commentary – A commitment to support the world’s most vulnerable women, children, and adolescents (Helen Clark)