Midwives play a central role in maternal and newborn health. So, it is fitting that their efforts took the spotlight at a two-day event – The 5^th Global Midwifery Symposium – held during the first ever International Maternal and Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC) in May 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Women who are treated with respect and dignity during childbirth are more likely to have positive birth experiences, feel empowered to make informed decisions about their care, and have better health outcomes for themselves and their newborns. 

USAID’s primary health care (PHC) partnership—which was announced in late 2022—brings new momentum to a long-neglected reality: Robust PHC is necessary for robust global health security (GHS).  But it has taken some time to fully recognize this fact.

It has been two decades since President George W. Bush launched the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief – or PEPFAR, and a recent Wilson Center event to celebrate the anniversary demonstrated that its impact as one of the most successful global public health programs is indisputable. Since its inception, PEPFAR has invested more than $100 billion in the global fight against HIV and AIDS, resulting in more than 25 million lives saved and millions of new infections prevented.

The impacts of a changing climate touch every region of the globe, but they are acutely felt by people in Uganda, where floods, droughts, and shifting rainfall patterns disrupt agricultural productivity, livelihoods, and the health and well-being of millions of people. According to the ND-GAIN index, Uganda is the 13^th most vulnerable nation in the world, and action there is urgently needed to better prepare for and adapt to climate change’s impacts.

“Women’s economic participation promotes economic growth and security. It’s good for the women involved. It’s good for the girls who dream of following in their footsteps,” said Ambassador Mark Green, President and CEO of the Wilson Center at a recent Women’s History Month private event in Washington, DC hosted by the Wilson Center and EMD Serono, the healthcare business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

“Too many children are dying in the first month of life,” said Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet at a recent launch event for the 2023 Lancet Series on Breastfeeding, hosted by The Royal Society of Medicine, London. Indeed, the global numbers are staggering. Horton observed that 2.3 million children died in the first month of life in 2021—that’s more than 6,000 newborns dying every single day.