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Observation room in maternity ward, India.
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Ending preventable stillbirths: A renewed call for collective action

21 October 2020 14:00 – 16:00 UTC Time

High-level virtual event to raise awareness and end preventable stillbirths

Despite millions of babies being stillborn each year, this devastating tragedy has not been prioritised in national or global public health agendas. However, most of these senseless deaths could be prevented with universal access to quality care before and during childbirth. Renewed commitment to ending preventable stillbirths is urgently needed. We must do better, faster.

Join us for this virtual event to raise awareness of the often silent but enormous trauma and burden of stillbirth and to bring clarity to this topic that’s rife with misconceptions.

Moderated by Femi Oke, this event will convene a panel of country representatives, midwives, bereaved parents and global experts to discuss results from the first-ever report on global stillbirth trends by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation to be published on 8 October. 

Panelists will also address the stigma and misconceptions around stillbirths, and the good practices necessary to end preventable stillbirths and ensure every child has a fair chance. Speakers include UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom.

Register for the Event (21 October 2020, 02:00 PM CEST)

The event will be jointly hosted by UNICEF; WHO; the World Bank Group; United Nations Population Division; Department of Health, Australia; Ministry of Public Health, Afghanistan; Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal; Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria; Every Woman Every Child; Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the United Kingdom; Beibei Haven Foundation, Nigeria; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth, Australia; Independent Midwives Association of Namibia; International Confederation of Midwives; International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO); International Stillbirth Alliance; Jhpiego, Indonesia; Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health; Save the Children; and Still A Mum, Kenya.

The event will be conducted in English, interpretation to Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish will be available.