Give preterm babies a strong start for a hopeful future

This year’s theme echoes WHO’s Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures campaign. It reminds us that every child deserves a fair chance at life, starting from their very first moments.

A strong start isn’t just about survival – it’s about honouring the promise of every tiny life. It’s about giving these babies the chance not only to survive but to thrive and one day, transform the world.

Failing to provide the special care these tiny babies need means a huge loss of big potential. Did you know? Some of history’s greatest minds were born too soon. Famous preterm babies include Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Pablo Picasso. What brilliance might we be losing today?

The campaign has several key calls to action, calling on countries to:

invest in special care for small and sick newborns, including neonatal units, specially trained staff, dedicated space and life-saving equipment;
strengthen maternal health services to prevent preterm birth and detect health problems early;
support families with emotional, financial, and practical resources to care for their tiny babies; and
ensure equity so that survival doesn’t depend on geography or income, but grants every baby – from their tiniest beginnings –the best chance at a brilliant future.

Strong starts for hopeful futures

Marked annually on 17 November, World Prematurity Day is a global moment to raise awareness of the impact of preterm birth and advocate for quality care for every baby who is born too soon.

Around 1 in 10 babies worldwide is preterm – born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Without effective care, they are at high risk of life-threatening health conditions like respiratory distress, infections, and hypothermia, which together lead to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths each year.

Governments, health systems, communities, and individuals have a shared responsibility to protect these tiny babies and ensure their families get the support they need.

A landmark year

First launched in 2008 by the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (now the Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants, or GFCNI) and many parent organizations, World Prematurity Day has today grown into a global movement.

In 2025, the World Health Assembly officially added World Prematurity Day to WHO’s international health calendar, recognizing its pivotal importance for improving child survival and well-being.

This milestone offers a powerful opportunity to spotlight the urgent need to invest now in special care for small and sick babies and better prevention of preterm birth.