Maternal and Newborn Health Thematic Fund Annual Report 2023

In 2023, the Maternal and Newborn Health Thematic Fund (MHTF) continued to drive transformative change to ensure every woman, adolescent girl, and newborn has access to quality, equitable, and accountable reproductive, maternal, and newborn health services. Focused on reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in 32 countries with the highest rates of maternal deaths, the MHTF provided vital support across five key regions: the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, East and Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West and Central Africa. Through its catalytic support, the fund strengthened health systems, expanded access to life-saving services, and empowered midwives, women and communities to take charge of improving maternal and newborn health outcomes.

In 2023, the MHTF facilitated safe delivery care for 2.8 million pregnant women, contributing to 30.8 million women supported since the fund’s launch in 2008. In 2023, the fund also trained 180,000 midwives, raising the total number of skilled midwives to 550,000, all equipped with the vital skills needed to save lives. Additionally, the MHTF made significant strides in maternal health by performing 8,697 fistula repair surgeries and offering comprehensive reintegration support to over 3,100 fistula survivors, helping them rebuild their lives with dignity.

A major achievement in 2023 was the MHTF’s critical role in strengthening emergency obstetric and newborn care by redesigning national referral health facility networks, ensuring that women receive critical care within two hours of travel time. As a result, the MHTF helped address 263,600 maternal complications across eight countries: Benin, Burundi, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Madagascar, Senegal, and Togo.

The MHTF also solidified its commitment to accountability by establishing national frameworks for maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response, now fully implemented in 60% of supported countries. In Niger, for example, these efforts led to a 27% increase in government-funded ambulances equipped for rapid patient transfers, directly saving lives and ensuring national ownership and sustainablity.