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WHS 2023:  Germany co-hosts the first pledging moment for the Global Financing Facility’s ‘Deliver the Future’ campaign

October 31, 2023

WHS 2023:  Germany co-hosts the first pledging moment for the Global Financing Facility’s ‘Deliver the Future’ campaign

The atmosphere was electric at this major pledging event which attracted a full house in the Rudolf Virchow Room, the Summit’s largest venue.

Reaching out to young people in Burundi with quality health services

August 31, 2023

Reaching out to young people in Burundi with quality health services

Burundi’s Reproductive Health Programme combines Systemic Quality Improvement in health centres with Community-Based Networking for adolescent and youth health.

Getting Kyrgyz women the antenatal care they’re entitled to: Closing the gap between paper and practice

August 30, 2023

Getting Kyrgyz women the antenatal care they’re entitled to: Closing the gap between paper and practice

Pregnant women in Kyrgyzstan are entitled to a basic package of antenatal care services through the country’s national social health insurance. Yet accessing these services can be like navigating an obstacle course. A German-supported project is raising women’s awareness of their rights and making it easier for pregnant women who are uninsured to get covered.

Why ‘MenstruAction’ is a gender-transformative approach: BMZ and GIZ‘s commitment to a movement that has come a long way

May 21, 2023

Why ‘MenstruAction’ is a gender-transformative approach: BMZ and GIZ‘s commitment to a movement that has come a long way

How a neglected yet vital issue has climbed up the development agenda, why it matters and what still needs to be done.

Protecting mothers and newborns against the negative impacts of climate change

January 11, 2023

Protecting mothers and newborns against the negative impacts of climate change

Climate change is increasingly recognised as serious threat to human health with pregnant women and newborns amongst those most at risk. This, and how to mitigate the effects, was the topic of a roundtable discussion at the World Health Summit in Berlin in October 2022.

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Sexual and reproductive health and rights

Promoting the well-being of the most vulnerable members of society: mothers, children and adolescents

Progress has been slow in maternal, child and adolescent health. Globally, about 810 women die each day during pregnancy and childbirth (UNICEF, 2020). In 2019, over six million children and young adolescents died, of which 5.2 million were children under the age of five (UNICEF, 2020). Most of these deaths were preventable. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation is getting worse. Projections suggest that even a moderate decrease in the provision of pregnancy, childbirth and neonatal care could result in 28,000 additional maternal deaths and 168,000 newborn deaths. More than 47 million women in low- and middle-income countries could lose access to contraceptives, resulting in up to 7 million unintended pregnancies. 

To address these and related challenges, German development cooperation supports a many-faceted response, starting with universal access to information about sexual and reproductive health and to reliable methods of contraception. Health staff are trained and equipped to provide rights-based family planning, pre- and postnatal care and assisted deliveries, as well as treatment of sexually transmitted infections – including prevention of mother-to-child transmission. Young people are targeted with tailor-made programmes promoting healthy lifestyles through school health programmes, special youth clinics and GIZ’s ‘Join-in Circuit’. You can discover these German-supported approaches in the articles, studies and events on this page.

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