NEW YORK — During the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, global leaders from the private sector, government, philanthropy, and NGOs will come together to address a critical global health challenge: proven, life-saving medical solutions already exist, but too often fail to reach the mothers and babies who need them.
On September 21, the Every Pregnancy Coalition, the Gates Foundation, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and Philips will host From Pipeline to Pregnancy: Unlocking the Final Step at Goals House, at Tavern on the Green in New York. The gathering will bring together a cross-sector group of leaders who play a role in ensuring that lifesaving medical products reach mothers and babies in countries affected by emergencies or conflict.
Approximately 260,000 women globally died during or following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023, despite the existence of proven interventions, technical expertise and trained health workers that can prevent many maternal deaths. The challenge is particularly acute in fragile settings.
A solution only saves lives if it reaches mothers and babies.
Yet lifesaving medicines and tools often do not reach mothers and their babies. Getting these solutions to mothers and babies requires financing, regulatory approvals, procurement policies, supply systems, and trained health workers.
The challenge, therefore, is not simply whether solutions exist, but whether we can connect the people, systems and resources needed to get them into the hands of health workers and, ultimately, to every mother and baby who needs them.
Every Pregnancy is a global coalition of organizations working to change this. It brings together more than 80 organizations working across 25 countries to raise funds, advocate, and collaborate so that more mothers and babies survive pregnancy and childbirth.
This initiative by a collective of organizations is particularly relevant during the 81st United Nations General Assembly, convened under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All.” For healthcare to be available to all, proven medical solutions should not stop at research, approval, or procurement, but should reach mothers and babies everywhere. To make this a reality, partnership is needed.
At UNGA, Every Pregnancy is bringing its collaborative coalition model into a global conversation, showing how governments, funders, innovators, health systems, NGOs and communities can work together to improve healthcare..
Closing the gap requires everyone to play a role: policymakers and funders shape priorities and resources; innovators help design solutions that meet women’s needs; health workers deliver care; and community and faith leaders help build the trust and access that allow care to reach families effectively.
The gathering will focus on how these different actors can work together more effectively, so that proven medical products reach every mother and baby who needs them.
How to move from collaboration to action?
“UNGA gives us a rare opportunity to bring together the institutions that influence different parts of the maternal health pathway,” said Isra Chaker, Founder and CEO of Every Pregnancy. “No single organization can close these gaps alone. Our role is to connect people, resources, and expertise—and to turn that alignment into action.”
“Many of the mothers dying today could be saved with interventions we already have,” said Dr. Zaher Sahloul, CEO and Co-Founder of MedGlobal, a member of the Coalition. “Faith and medicine both call us to act. Communities can help mobilize resources, build trust and close some of the most persistent gaps in global health.”
“We often underestimate what it takes to get even a low-cost, life-saving solution to mothers in remote areas and crisis zones,” said Mazen Mokhtar, CEO of Baitulmaal, Coalition member. “Working through coalitions like Every Pregnancy helps connect the systems, support and expertise needed to reach mothers and babies where care is hardest to access.”
The September 21 gathering is intended to build momentum that continues beyond UNGA. Participants will identify where their institutions can contribute through financing, policy, partnership, innovation, implementation, or other forms of support, and how those contributions can be carried forward into sustained collaboration toward a shared goal: a world where every pregnancy is safe.
About Every Pregnancy
Every Pregnancy is a global maternal and newborn health coalition of more than 80 organizations working across 25 countries, bringing together financing, local leadership, technical expertise and proven care to strengthen the maternal health pathway and help more mothers and babies access the care they need.
About MedGlobal
MedGlobal is a global health and humanitarian organization working to address healthcare disparities in vulnerable and fragile settings. Through emergency response, health service delivery and sustainable programming, MedGlobal provides lifesaving care and works to strengthen health systems for communities affected by conflict, displacement, disasters and other crises.
About Baitulmaal
Baitulmaal is a humanitarian organization providing life-saving, life-sustaining and life-enriching assistance to underserved populations around the world, regardless of faith or nationality. Its work connects donor support with communities in need to provide humanitarian relief and restore hope.