New York, 13 April 2026 – On the sidelines of the 59th Session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD59), the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with the support of the Governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, South Africa and Tanzania, today convened a high-level meeting to address the "Infrastructure of Survival" as regards maternal mortality. The event marks a decisive shift in the continent’s strategy to end preventable maternal deaths by harnessing catalytic capital, digital resilience, and a new era of African health, security and sovereignty.
Despite a 40% decline in maternal mortality since 2000, Africa continues to bear 70% of the global burden of maternal deaths. With current trends projecting a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 350 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030—five times the Sustainable Development Goal target—Ministers of Health and other continental leaders today called for an immediate overhaul of the systemic failures that leave life-saving commodities out of reach for millions.
Beyond Aid: A New Public Health Order
The meeting underscored that maternal deaths from conditions like postpartum hemorrhage and sepsis are not failures of science, but systems. In many high-burden settings and for the most vulnerable, families face a "double injustice": losing a mother to preventable death while being pushed into extreme poverty, with medicine costs making up to 60% of out-of-pocket health spending according to latest data from WHO and the World Bank.
In professing real-time solutions, the partnership is championing the African Union’s New Public Health Order that is shifting Africa from donor-driven and fragmented procurement toward self-sufficiency in health security. This is being delivered through unified African-led market shaping, robust local manufacturing, pooled procurement and harmonized regulatory frameworks led by the African Medicines Agency (AMA) with support from AUDA-NEPAD.
In her remarks, H.E. Ambassador Amma A. Twum-Amoah, AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development emphasised that ‘’Innovation alone is not enough. It must be matched with political commitment and domestic financing.’’ The Commissioner called on Member States to increase domestic investment in maternal health, leverage matched financing mechanisms and align behind a unified act—one plan, One Budget, One Approach. ‘’This means achieving the objectives of the ALM Declaration – Investment in health, which includes the health of the mother and child ’’ Amb. Twum-Amoah added.
Scaling Innovation and Digital Resilience
A centerpiece of the discussion was the role of technology in strengthening supply chains. UNFPA highlighted its digital inventory tracking system that has already drastically improved commodity security. In 2025, this technology successfully reduced expiry losses by 57% and slashed stock-outs to just 9.5%.
The meeting also spotlighted the significance of regional pooled procurement mechanisms, including the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism and SADC Pooled Procurement Services, designed to collapse prices for essential tools and create the economies of scale necessary for local production to thrive.
"Africa is no longer waiting for change—we are driving it. Through catalytic initiatives such as the African Demographic Dividend & Sexual and Reproductive Health programme (A2DSRH), our 24 Priority Medical Products for local manufacturing, and the Programme for Investing and Financing Africa’s Health (PIFAH) – we are proving that African-led innovation and investment in health systems are not just aspirations—they are realities shaping our continent today. The time has come to turn intention into scaled implementation, and dependency into true health sovereignty. As we advance Agenda 2063, we ensure that maternal and child-health becomes a core pillar of 'The Africa We Want.'” – H.E. Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO, AUDA-NEPAD.
UNFPA is making significant contributions to closing the commodity gap. Between 2021 and 2025, UNFPA procured life-saving medicines and supplies worth more than $100 million, the majority destined for humanitarian and fragile settings. UNFPA is ready to provide its full commodity financing and global pooling capacity in support of this shared vision of a New Public Health Order for Africa.
A Call for Catalytic Investment
The event served as a launchpad for scaling UNFPA’s commodity accelerator. By utilizing catalytic capital, the initiative seeks to make proven innovations—such as calibrated drapes for early hemorrhage detection—universally affordable for public health systems in low-income countries.
“From the use of artificial intelligence to the deployment of drones, we are harnessing innovation to strengthen health systems, sharpen data-driven decision-making, and reach underserved communities” said Ms. Diene Keita, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNFPA Executive Director. “With renewed commitment and the domestic investments to match it, we can break down the barriers in front of us and ensure access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for Africa’s women, no matter where they live.”
Elevating Maternal Survival in Agenda 2063
The high-level event concluded with a clear action plan: translating political commitments into domestic budgetary allocations and deliverables through national compacts. The African Union and UNFPA called on Member States to elevate maternal survival as a core pillar of the African Union Agenda 2063 – Second Ten Year Implementation Plan (STYIP), aiming for an African Union theme of the year for 2028/2029 to be "Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality".
As the world looks toward 2030, the message from New York is clear: the global challenge to end maternal mortality will be won or lost in Africa. By investing in the infrastructure of maternal survival today, the continent is securing the political, economic and social future of generations to come.
About the Partners:
- UNFPA: The mission of UNFPA is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s New Report (2026) Start with Her: Ensuring access to quality-assured commodities for maternal and newborn health outlines how UNFPA supports countries to strengthen supply chains, regulatory systems and procurement to ensure life-saving commodities reach women and newborns when and where they are needed most.
- African Union Commission (AUC): The AUC is the Secretariat of the African Union with responsibility for its day-to-day operations, including but not limited to the implementation of the Africa Health Strategy and the African Health Security and Sovereignty agenda.
- AUDA-NEPAD: The African Union Development Agency is tasked with coordinating and executing priority regional and continental development initiatives to promote regional integration towards the accelerated realisation of Agenda 2063.
Note to Editors:
For further information visit: www.unfpa.org, www.au.int, or the CARMMA Plus Roadmap: www.carmmaplus.org.
