GLOBAL EXPERTS TO CONVENE AROUND EFFORTS TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND NEWBORN SURVIVAL
1,800 delegates from around the world to gather in Cape Town for Inaugural International Maternal Newborn Health Conference in May 2023
Cape Town, South Africa – The first biennial International Maternal Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC) is set to take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 8 – 11 May 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.
The conference, hosted by the Government of South Africa and AlignMNH – a global initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – will bring together 1,800 delegates from around the world to accelerate solutions to improve maternal and newborn survival and prevent stillbirths in a coordinated and inclusive manner.
Media who wish to attend are urged to register at this link – https://airtable.com/shrM3XO49xcbKr3dZ
IMNHC marks an important moment as we get closer to 2030, the end of the globally agreed upon goals for maternal and newborn health and prevention of stillbirths.
IMNHC will convene the maternal newborn health community to drive urgent action for the health of mothers and newborns by leading with evidence, sharing effective implementation strategies, reviewing joint progress, and nurturing collaboration and innovation.
The Department of Health, on behalf of the Government of South Africa, is pleased to host this important conference as part of a series of interventions towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals targets on reducing preventable maternal and neonatal deaths.
This conference will help the country to review country performances in implementing the evidence-based interventions and shared learnings by different member states to accelerate our interventions.
WHAT: Inaugural International Maternal Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC)
WHEN: Monday 8 to Thursday 11 May 2023. Full schedule available here – https://imnhc2023.dryfta.com/program
WHO: Participation per invitation only
VISUALS: 1,800 maternal and newborn health stakeholders from around the world working to improve maternal and newborn survival and prevent stillbirths
WHERE: Cape Town International Convention Centre, Convention Square, 1 Lower Long Street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Each day more than 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, more than 5,000 babies are stillborn, and more than 6,400 children under one month old die.
A new report published in February 2023 from the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG) has us facing the sobering reality that earlier positive trends in the decline in maternal mortality have now stalled on a global level.
According to the report, “in the first five years of the SDGs, maternal mortality barely declined, if at all. On current trends more than one million additional maternal deaths will occur by 2030.”
The conference will also serve as an opportunity to launch the first joint progress report from the Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) Initiative and Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP), which will help lay the groundwork for further progress, and align the community on the targets, thus serving as an accountability mechanism for future convenings. Coming together at IMNHC 2023, and every two years thereafter, will mark important milestones over the next eight years as we progress to 2030.
For more information on IMNHC 2023 visit imnhc2023.org. A live stream of all plenary sessions will be available for open access here.
