Today, Administrator Samantha Power unveiled the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) new framework for preventing child and maternal deaths, Preventing Child and Maternal Deaths: A Framework for Action in a Changing World. The strategy chronicles the progress made across 25 countries since 2012, and lays out an action plan for country-led programs to measurably improve health outcomes for women and children through an intensified focus on coverage, quality, and equity. The Administrator made the announcement at an event with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the governments of India, Senegal, and the United Kingdom, and global health leaders, practitioners, technical experts, and advocates to commemorate a decade of progress and spur further collective action on maternal and child survival.
Ten years ago, the U.S. government committed to ending preventable deaths among mothers and children under the age of five by 2030. Today in USAID partner countries, 3,000 more children and 100 more women will survive every day than in 2012. These results demonstrate that meaningful progress is possible, yet significant challenges remain. There are still more than 13,800 children and 800 women dying every day from causes we know how to prevent.
USAID’s new framework calls on the international community to draw from lessons learned, renew momentum towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and work together to improve global maternal and child survival.
A mother’s chance of surviving childbirth or a child’s chance at celebrating their fifth birthday should not be determined by where they live or are born, or their race or ethnicity, or their family’s income status. Supporting country-led efforts to prevent these tragic and avoidable deaths among women and children is a promise the U.S. government intends to keep, working in close partnership with governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
For the latest updates on USAID’s maternal and child survival programs visit https://www.usaid.gov/global-health/health-areas/maternal-and-child-health.