On World Refugee Day, Every Pregnancy calls for urgent action to support refugee mothers

June 15, 2026 –Conflict, climate disasters, and displacement have forced around 118 million people to flee their homes worldwide. Half of them are women and girls. Every day, mothers and pregnant women show extraordinary courage fleeing conflict and disaster in search of safety for their families. 

This World Refugee Day, the Every Pregnancy coalition stands in solidarity with the millions of displaced pregnant women, newborns, and families and calls on governments and donors to treat maternal health as the urgent humanitarian priority that it is. Safe pregnancy is a right, not a privilege.  

Each year, around 305,000 babies are born as refugees. A refugee woman’s right to safe pregnancy and childbirth does not end when she crosses a border. Yet, pregnant refugees and other displaced women face some of the most alarming gaps in maternal and newborn health care in the world. 

Displacement often shatters the continuity of care when women need it most. Their access to routine prenatal care is often disrupted while they are on the move. Across refugee camps, overcrowded shelters, and underfunded clinics, women are giving birth without safe conditions. Treatable complications — postpartum haemorrhage, preeclampsia, and infection — can become life-threatening. Many also face xenophobia, discrimination, and barriers to accessing national health systems once in host countries. Now, funding cuts are further jeopardizing life-saving care. “I thought I would have to sell my baby because I had no money for the delivery. But after learning about MedGlobal’s free maternity services, I came here and received the care I needed. Today, I am holding my baby boy in my arms. No mother should ever have to choose between poverty and keeping her child.” — Maryam Shah, Rohingya refugee and mother supported by MedGlobal 

The scale of this crisis demands global action. An estimated 60% of preventable maternal deaths and 50% of newborn deaths take place in contexts of conflict, displacement, or natural disasters. 

The Every Pregnancy coalition’s 50 faith-based partners are supporting mothers and newborns across 20 countries with prenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric services, nutrition support, and community health programs. We can make every pregnancy safe, but only if we reach all mothers and babies who need care. We urge donors to take action and fund maternal health as an urgent humanitarian priority from the first day of any displacement crisis, not as an afterthought. 

Isra Chaker, Founder and CEO of Every Pregnancy said, “Seeking healthcare while undergoing forced displacement should not cost a mother her life. Until every displaced woman can access safe pregnancy and childbirth care, our work is not done.”

“On International Refugee Day, we honor the courage, resilience, and dignity of millions of people forced to flee their homes. It is a reminder that refugees are not defined by what they have lost, but by their strength and potential. Global Relief Trust is committed to stand with them, protect their rights, and help them rebuild their futures.” – Atiqur Rahman, CEO, Global Relief Trust

“No mother should be forced to choose between her safety and her health. Yet for millions of refugee and displaced women, pregnancy and childbirth take place far from home, often without access to the care they need. Ensuring safe pregnancies, safe deliveries, and healthy beginnings for every child is not only a medical responsibility—it is a humanitarian imperative.” — Dr. Zaher Sahloul, President and Co-Founder, MedGlobal

“Displacement from a homeland creates challenges for mothers to feed, educate and house children and may carry a trauma and sense of longing that needs to be respected so it doesn’t become an unhealed trauma that challenges future generations.” – Mukhtar Karim, CEO, Lady Fatemah Trust

“Every day, we see the immense courage of pregnant women and mothers navigating the trauma of displacement. On World Refugee Day, our partnership with Every Pregnancy is about making sure these brave women don’t have to carry that heavy burden alone. By bringing together medical care, legal support, and safe shelter, we are able to provide a real lifeline and restore dignity to the mothers and families in our care.” – Hanan Asgheh, Executive Director, Goodwill Caravan

Signatories: 

  • African Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP)
  • Aga Khan University
  • Association for Mothers and Newborns (AMAN)
  • Amena Mobile Clinic
  • Angel Kids Foundation
  • Baitulmaal, Inc.
  • Behbud
  • Bashir Foundation for Fistula and Women’s Health (BFFWH)
  • Bloom Charity
  • ChildLife Foundation
  • Children Not Numbers
  • Doctors Worldwide
  • Doris Mollel Foundation
  • Droplets of Mercy USA
  • Early Light Foundation (Healing for Gaza)
  • Global Relief Trust (GRT)
  • Goodwill Caravan
  • HANDS Welfare Foundation
  • Health, Education and Literacy Programme (HELP) Pakistan
  • Human Concern International (HCI) 
  • Human Concern USA
  • Hand in Hand for Aid and Development (HiHFAD)
  • Human Appeal USA
  • Humaniti
  • Indus Hospital & Health Network
  • Islamic Relief UK
  • Karam Foundation
  • Lady Fatemah Trust
  • Maternal Aid Association (MAA)
  • MedGlobal
  • Muslim Aid UK
  • Muslim Hands UK
  • National Zakat Foundation UK
  • OBAT Helpers
  • One Ummah
  • Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF)
  • Pathfinder International
  • Penny Appeal Canada
  • Pious Projects
  • Rivers of Mercy
  • Sudanese American Physicians Association (SAPA)
  • Syria Relief and Development (SRD)
  • The Zahra Trust
  • The Motherhood Group
  • UK Islamic Mission (UKIM)
  • United Mission for Relief and Development (UMR)
  • Vital Pakistan Trust (VPT)
  • Zamzam Foundation