PMNCH History

PMNCH Launch

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health was launched in September 2005 when the world’s three leading maternal, newborn and child health alliances joined forces under the new name of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. These organizations were: the Partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health, hosted by the World Health Organization in Geneva; the Healthy Newborn Partnership, based at Save the Children USA; and the Child Survival Partnership, hosted by UNICEF in New York.

Partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health

The Partnership for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health was an outgrowth of the Safe Motherhood Inter-Agency Group, which was established in 1987. This Partnership was launched in 2004 with a broadened mandate to promote the health of women and newborns, focusing on the most vulnerable groups. It also lobbied for greater national and international commitment to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5.

Healthy Newborn Partnership

The Healthy Newborn Partnership was established in 2000 with three main objectives: (1) promoting awareness and action to improve newborn health; (2) providing a forum to communicate new advances and information in newborn health initiatives; and (3) incorporating newborn health into government policies and programmes.

Child Survival Partnership

The Child Survival Partnership was created in 2004 to improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of child health programmes, and to lobby for governments to support and expand national child health initiatives. The Partnership strives to achieve these goals by bringing together national, regional, and global partners in a shared effort to mobilize resources and achieve Millennium Development Goal 4.

• More information on the Child Survival Partnership

Lives in the Balance: PMNCH Meeting, April 2005, Delhi, India

The vision and goals of The Partnership were outlined in "The Delhi Declaration" – a landmark statement developed by participants of "Lives in the Balance: The Partnership Meeting for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health", held in New Delhi, India, April 7-9, 2005. Participants included ministers and delegations from 12 national governments, UN agencies, the World Bank, foundations, national and international NGOs, professional bodies, academic institutions and civil society representatives.

• More information on Lives in the Balance Meeting, Delhi, 2007 and the Delhi Declaration
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