©WHO/Neil Nuia.
Lottie and her newborn baby at the postnatal ward in
the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, Solomon Islands in July 2022.
The 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79), convening in Geneva from 18–23 May 2026, takes place at a moment of acute fragility for maternal and newborn health globally, undermined by deep foreign aid cuts, constrained national budgets, and a rollback of rights.
Reducing maternal,newborn and child mortality and stillbirths is still achievable by accelerating evidence-based sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health interventions in the final five years of the SDGs, in line with the WHA77 Resolution ‘Accelerate progress towards reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality‘.
But with four years left to the SDG deadline, coverage of essential service packages remains low and inequitable, limiting access to life-saving interventions and falling short of EWENE targets.
WHA79 is where the world’s health ministers gather to set priorities, allocate resources, and make the commitments that shape what happens on the ground — making it a critical opportunity to ensure that maternal, newborn and child health remains visible, funded, and central to the global health agenda.
EWENE is at WHA79 to make sure that opportunity is not missed. Our partners are bringing the latest evidence on what is working, where gaps remain, and what countries are doing to accelerate progress, including high-level messages from the forthcoming EWENE-CSA 2026 Progress report.
Event | Time | Partner(s) | Venue |
Lives in the balance Health sovereignty, financing reform and protecting what matters most: Women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health.
| 18:30 – 19:30 CEST In person and online | PMNCH, with EWENE, UNICEF, UNFPA, Child Health Taskforce, Child Survival Action, Global Leaders Network, PATH, Save the Children, World Vision, SEED Global Health, MSI Reproductive Choices | Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (Red Cross Museum) |
Event | Time | Partner(s) |
|
Strategic leadership for nurses and midwives: A policy pathway to stronger health systems. Register | 8:45-11:30 CEST | Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma and Anaesthesia Care (G4 Alliance), Butterfly Global Health, International Council of Nurses (ICN), Global Surgery Foundation (GSF), Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists (IFNA), International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), Laerdal Global Health, MARCH Health Care Initiative, Ohana One International Surgical Aid & Education, Operation Smile | Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (Red Cross Museum) |
Continuity, respect, equity: Midwifery models of care for people-centred health systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Read more and join | 13:00-14:00 CEST Online | International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) | Garden Room T, WHO HQ |
Are midwives crisis-ready? How can simulation training ensure midwives are crisis-ready? Read more and register | 18:00-20:00 CEST In person | UNFPA, Laerdal Global Health, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) | Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (Red Cross Museum |
Event | Time | Partner(s) |
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The Midwifery Accelerator: Optimizing the health workforce for maternal and newborn survival. Read more & register | 7:45-9.30 CEST In person | UNFPA, Member States and Midwifery Accelerator partners, including UNICEF, ICM and Jhpiego. | Vieux-Bois restaurant, 12 Avenue de la Paix, 1202 Genève |
Accelerating action for adolescent health and well-being in a changing world: Safeguarding rights, financing the future, and strengthening systems for impact. Register | 11.30-14:30 CEST In person and livestreamed | Government of Sweden; PMNCH, WHO-HRP, Fondation Botnar, World Vision International, UNICEF, SheDecides, MSINCH, UNICEF | Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (Red Cross Museum) |
Investing in safer births: Scaling what works. Register | 18:00-19:00 CEST In person | Global Financing Facility (GFF) and Laerdal Global Health |
Event | Time | Partner(s) |
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Accelerating the reduction of maternal, newborn and child mortality – Progress to date and action for 2030. Register to receive the recording | 9:30-11:00 CEST | DevEx, EWENE, MSD for Mothers, Child Survival Action, UNICEF, UNFPA | Ballroom B, Intercontinental Hotel, Geneva |
Power in partnership: Unlocking sustainable financing for reproductive, maternal and newborn health commodities. | 18:30-20:30 CEST In person | The Government of Ghana, Honduras, Nigeria, Senegal and Zambia, and UNFPA, FP2030 and Unitaid | Vieux-Bois restaurant, 12 Avenue de la Paix, 1202 Genève |
Delivering maternal and newborn services in hard-to-reach communities, in low resource, complex settings: Lessons from South Sudan and Kenya. | 13:00 CEST In person and livestreamed | Government of South Sudan and Kenya, UNFPA, Doctors with Africa | Salle C, WHO HQ |