The World Health Organization recently reported that the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) dropped by 40% between 2000 and 2023. Real progress is being made, yet far too many women are dying in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where 95% of maternal deaths occur.
Many of these deaths are preventable.
Across the Global South, countries are responding by designing and implementing transformative approaches, tailored to their realities, to help women survive pregnancy and childbirth.
India, Ethiopia, and Tanzania stand out as examples of how country-led action, rooted in community engagement, digital innovation, and strong policy frameworks, can lead to dramatic improvements in women’s health and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
India has made substantial strides in improving maternal health outcomes through large-scale, government-led initiatives. Initiatives such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (institutional births), Dakshata and LaQshya (quality of intrapartum care), and PMSMA (early detection of high-risk pregnancies) have helped reduce India’s MMR from 384 to 80 deaths per 100,000 births (2000 to 2023). Parallel progress in family planning has also been just as noteworthy.
In Ethiopia, community-rooted systems have shifted the trajectory of maternal health. Initiatives have included training and deploying over 40,000 female health extension workers. These are trusted providers from the communities they serve who offer antenatal care, family planning counseling, and emergency referrals and provide services even in remote villages. They have helped reduce Ethiopia’s MMR from 953 to 195 (2000 to 2023).
In Tanzania, regional efforts to scale up family planning and reproductive health services have yielded impactful results. Through its National Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan, the country now uses community health workers to deliver modern contraceptive services, especially to adolescents. Youth-friendly clinics and mobile outreach units ensure that even historically underserved populations can access care, which has increased modern contraceptive use and reduced adolescent fertility and unmet needs among urban adolescents.
These examples underscore how country-led innovation, community-rooted solutions, and strategic partnerships are driving measurable progress—and why South-to-South collaboration is key to scaling success.
As countries create local pathways to universal health coverage, this WHA78 side event, convened by Jhpiego and their partners with support from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), will spotlight achievements from India, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. We hope to catalyze a global dialogue on how to translate commitments into action and advance women’s health equity through shared learning across the Global South. Please join us for this engaging in-person discussion.
Register today!
Admission is complimentary and attendance is in-person only.
