Global Health in Focus: PMNCH’s Strategy to Empower Women, Children, and Adolescents

In a time marked by overlapping global crises, ranging from climate change and conflict to rising authoritarianism and crumbling health systems, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) have launched a transformative new strategy to safeguard the health and rights of women, children, and adolescents (WCA). The 2026–2030 PMNCH strategy, developed in close collaboration with institutions such as Aga Khan University’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health in Canada, Fondation Botnar, and the Population Council in Zambia, serves as both a roadmap and an urgent call to action. It aims to fortify global partnerships and reinforce existing commitments at a time when hard-won health gains are under severe threat.

Despite steady progress in reducing maternal and child mortality over the past decades and increasing access to reproductive healthcare, that progress is now at risk. Political instability, the post-pandemic economic downturn, and brutal cuts to foreign aid have eroded already fragile healthcare systems in many parts of the world, particularly in the Global South. Simultaneously, the global rise of anti-rights ideologies has led to restrictive laws on contraception, safe abortion, and sexuality education, compounded by online misinformation that sows distrust in science. The report warns of grave consequences: in conflict zones, maternal mortality soars, gender-based violence spikes, and critical services for newborns and adolescents collapse. Climate change only adds fuel to the fire, with women and children 14 times more likely than men to die in disasters and representing 80% of those displaced by climate-related events.

Power Shifts and the Promise of Innovation

Yet amid these bleak realities, the strategy points to powerful levers for change. Countries across the Global South are emerging as leaders in shaping global health priorities. With active engagement in forums like the G20, BRICS, and the African Union, nations such as India, South Africa, and Brazil are influencing how the global community responds to health challenges. The report emphasizes that localized solutions, community-driven programs, regional cooperation, and civil society engagement are essential for long-term sustainability.

Technological innovation is also central to PMNCH’s vision. Telemedicine, mobile health platforms, and AI-powered diagnostics are redefining healthcare delivery. These tools offer a chance to bridge longstanding gaps in access, especially in remote and underserved communities. But the strategy also cautions against deepening digital divides: disparities in internet access, digital literacy, and algorithmic bias risk reinforcing the very inequalities the strategy seeks to dismantle. The document urges responsible, inclusive innovation supported by social enterprises and public-private-philanthropic partnerships to ensure technology benefits the most marginalized.

From Declarations to Delivery

The PMNCH strategy is not about creating new promises; it is about fulfilling old ones. Grounded in a powerful vision where no woman, child, or adolescent dies from preventable causes and where universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is guaranteed, the strategy focuses on implementation through three key action areas: accelerating impact, amplifying advocacy, and strengthening accountability.

Its goals are to build multi-sector coalitions, spanning governments, civil society, healthcare providers, academia, and the private sector, that can coordinate efforts and unlock resources. The Global Leaders Network (GLN), Collaborative Advocacy Action Plans (CAAPs), and the Global Forum for Adolescents (GFA) are already showing results. With more than 33 national commitments secured, hundreds of advocacy champions mobilized, and 1.5 million young voices contributing through the “What Young People Want” survey, the strategy is converting momentum into measurable change.

Key priorities include bolstering frontline healthcare workforces, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and integrating WCA health into broader agendas like climate adaptation, digital equity, and education reform. From advocating for better midwifery training to ensuring digital health tools reach rural clinics, the strategy’s implementation is sharply focused and highly localized.

Adolescents at the Heart of the Agenda

With 1.8 billion people aged 10 to 24, the largest youth generation in history, PMNCH places adolescent health and well-being at the center of its efforts. The strategy advocates for adolescent-led governance, co-creation of policies, and youth-led accountability mechanisms. It underscores the urgent need to address mental health, gender-based violence, comprehensive sexuality education, and inclusive services for LGBTQ+ youth, particularly those in conflict and crisis settings.

Events like the 2023 Global Forum for Adolescents provided a global stage for young advocates, resulting in the Agenda for Action for Adolescents and a compelling investment case estimating the cost of inaction at a staggering $110 trillion by 2050. The strategy pushes governments to develop adolescent health policies backed by data and funding, and to track progress using scorecards and community feedback.

A Vision of Shared Accountability

The PMNCH strategy concludes with a forward-looking blueprint for learning, monitoring, and risk mitigation. A Theory of Action (ToA) underpins the strategy’s logic, mapping how its inputs, like partner engagement, data tools, and financial investment, are expected to produce transformative outcomes. A comprehensive Learning Framework ensures that strategy execution remains flexible and responsive, even amid unexpected political or environmental disruptions.

To guard against risks such as funding cuts, anti-SRHR backlash, and misinformation, the strategy calls for diversified financing, robust accountability, and strong South-led partnerships. Key performance indicators, both quantitative and qualitative, will track everything from policy implementation to adolescent engagement and health outcomes. The strategy is unapologetically bold: it centers those most affected, especially adolescents, as co-leaders in transforming their health systems and futures.

The PMNCH strategy 2026–2030 challenges the global community to move from declarations to delivery, from commitments to courage, and from promise to progress. Through its partnerships, evidence-based tools, and unwavering commitment to equity and rights, PMNCH seeks nothing less than a future where every woman, child, and adolescent can live a healthy, dignified, and empowered life.