PMNCH

13/10/2026

Have your say: Ensure women, children and adolescents are not overlooked in global health reform

The global health architecture is being reshaped, with decisions that will influence health priorities, financing and accountability for years to come.

Yet women's, children's and adolescents' health and rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), remain insufficiently reflected in emerging reform proposals.

We invite partners to provide feedback on a draft open letter to the Joint Task Force on Reform of the Global Health Architecture, calling for stronger commitments to:
•⁠ ⁠Prioritize women's, children's and adolescents' health and SRHR.
•⁠ ⁠Protect financing and essential health services.
•⁠ ⁠Strengthen country ownership and equitable access to care.
•⁠ ⁠Measure success through health outcomes and equity.
•⁠ ⁠Ensure meaningful representation and accountability.

Your input will help strengthen the letter before it is finalized and opened for organizational signatures.

🔗 Review and share your feedback: https://docs.google.com/document/d/153CCBVGSJmi8bdKP6zG5zlJaa-59KMNh/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115849573293777478050&rtpof=true&sd=true

📅 Deadline: 18 October 2026

Help ensure global health reform protects the health and rights of those most at risk of being left behind.

13/10/2026

PMNCH welcomes the adoption of the UN Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 12 October, and its recognition of the critical links between pandemic preparedness, gender equality, and sexual and reproductive health.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the devastating consequences of disruptions to essential health services. Between 2019 and 2021, 67 million children missed routine vaccinations, while studies documented significant increases in stillbirths and maternal deaths.

As Rajat Khosla, Executive Director of PMNCH, emphasized: “COVID-19 showed that when pandemics strike, services for women, children and adolescents are among the first to be disrupted, with consequences that last for years.”

The declaration represents an important commitment, but turning commitments into action will be essential. PMNCH stands ready to work with Member States and partners to ensure that the health and rights of women, children and adolescents remain central to pandemic preparedness and response.

Read more: https://pmnch.who.int/news-and-events/news/item/13-10-2026-pmnch-welcomes-the-un-political-declaration-on-pandemic-preparedness-and-its-recognition-of-gender-equality-and-sexual-and-reproductive-health

08/10/2026

A critical window is open to help shape the future of the global health architecture.

With a draft reform paper expected in approximately two months, now is the time to ensure that the health and rights of women, children and adolescents are explicitly protected and prioritized throughout the reform process.

To support partners’ advocacy, PMNCH has developed a set of practical resources explaining what is at stake, where opportunities for influence exist, and how partners can engage effectively. These include an FAQ on the reform process, an in-depth resource on WHO reform and its implications for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, and an advocacy resource pack with key messages, talking points and adaptable template letters.

We encourage you to use, adapt and share these materials across your networks and in upcoming Regional Committee meetings, bilateral discussions and other advocacy opportunities.

🔗 FAQ:https://pmnch.who.int/docs/librariesprovider9/meeting-reports/pmnch-gha-reform-faq-partner-resource.pdf

🔗 In-depth resource:https://pmnch.who.int/docs/librariesprovider9/meeting-reports/pmnch-gha-reform-detailed-partner-resource.pdf

🔗 Advocacy resource pack:https://pmnch.who.int/docs/librariesprovider9/meeting-reports/pmnch-gha-reform-advocacy-resource-pack.pdf

06/10/2026

📢 Now live: Designing policies and programmes to promote adolescent health and well-being.

A new self-paced course is now available through the WHO Academy, equipping policymakers, programme managers, advocates, researchers and students with practical knowledge and tools to strengthen adolescent health and well-being.

The content of this course was developed by PMNCH and WHO Academy, with additional suggestions from UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, Plan Canada and an independent expert from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Through the course, learners will explore how to develop cost-effective, multisectoral policies and programmes for adolescent health and well-being, meaningfully engage adolescents and young people in policy and programme development, apply evidence-based approaches to multisectoral planning and implementation, and monitor and evaluate policies and programmes to improve outcomes for adolescents.

The course is now live and available online. Start learning today: https://whoacademy.org/coursewares/course-v1:WHOA+0081_AWB_EN+2026

06/10/2026

As the 153rd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly opens in Arusha, PMNCH is calling for stronger parliamentary leadership to protect and advance the health and rights of women, children and adolescents.

At a time of shrinking fiscal space, declining development assistance and growing pressure on rights, parliaments have a critical role in determining whether political commitments translate into laws, budgets, services and results that communities can see and feel.

PMNCH is working with the Parliamentary Network for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health as a platform for coordinated action on financing, legislation and accountability; strengthening collaboration with the IPU and regional parliamentary institutions; and connecting parliamentary leadership more systematically with national priorities being advanced through PMNCH’s Collaborative Advocacy Action Plans.

Across the Assembly, our message is clear: Parliamentary leadership is critical to elevating the voices of women's, children's and adolescent's to ensure political leadership for WCAH issues and help turn political ambition into public accountability and results- protecting essential services, mobilizing sustainable financing and ensuring that women, children and adolescents have a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape their lives.

The opportunity in Arusha is to move from promises to action— and from commitments to results. Read PMNCH's Statement Here: https://pmnch.who.int/news-and-events/news/item/06-10-2026-from-promises-to-pulse-parliamentary-power-for-women-s-children-s-and-adolescents-health

Parliament of the Republic of South Africa

06/10/2026

Proven, low-cost innovations already exist for the leading causes of death and disability among women, children, and adolescents. The gap isn't the innovation, it's everything that has to happen after a pilot works for it to become routine practice in a health system.

At the World Health Summit in Berlin, PMNCH and the Chiesi Foundation are convening a closed roundtable to move from diagnosing that gap to acting on it: "From Bottlenecks to Action: A Roadmap for Scaling Affordable Women and Children's Health Innovations in LMICs."

This session brings together government, private sector, and philanthropic leaders for a candid conversation on what it actually takes to carry proven solutions from successful pilot to national scale and to shape the recommendations going into PMNCH's forthcoming roadmap.

📅 12 October 2026 | World Health Summit, Berlin
Invitation only

01/10/2026

01/10/2026

15/09/2026

Sierra Leone's 300 Days of Activism for Triple Zero has delivered remarkable early results, and sustaining them will require continued political and financial support.

At , Minister of Health Dr. Austin Demby, PhD, MPH, will convene a high-level side event, urging global partners to help secure the future of maternal and child survival beyond 300 days.

15/09/2026

Are you successfully bridging the gap between evidence and action for Small and Sick Newborn Care in your healthcare setting? Ready to share your ideas with a global community? Participate in our 2026 essay contest and win great prizes! Find out more about last year’s winners below. The Newborn To...