The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) published the ‘Ending the Preventable Deaths of Mothers, Babies and Children by 2030’ Approach Paper in 2021, setting out the UK’s commitment to working with others to end preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths. The UK’s approach supports global efforts in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births, and to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age by 2030.   

Since October 2024, this approach now operates under the name of ‘Healthy Women, Children and Newborns (HWCN): A Coordinated Approach to Ending Preventable Deaths’ and is referred to as HWCN throughout this report. The 2021 Approach paper remains the cornerstone for UK efforts, upholding a collective, multisectoral, health systems strengthening approach.

This Narrative Report provides a snapshot of the UK’s efforts since 2021. It includes:

• An overview of our multisectoral approach in practice, including an insight into ways of working, programming and policy;
• A breadth of examples illustrating activity against the ‘We wills’ and ‘Actions’ outlined in the Approach Paper;
• A range of country case studies; and
• A forward look, exploring our priorities from 2025-2030.