Authored by: Victory Kamthunzi
This is the first in a three-part series recapping NEST360’s participation at IMNHC 2026.
Next: Blog 2 — Moving Forward, Together: Systems Win. Single Interventions Do Not.
And: Blog 3 — Moving Forward, Together: From Commitment to Action. Country Ownership, Financing, and the Road to 2030
[Nairobi, Kenya | March 23–26, 2026] Four days. Over 1,800 participants. Governments, researchers, implementers, health workers, parents and community advocates gathered in Nairobi for the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference 2026 (IMNHC 2026), convened under the theme “Moving Forward, Together.”
Globally, we are four years away from 2030, the target year for meeting SDG 3.2 and the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere targets, the global, national, and subnational commitments to end preventable newborn deaths and reduce neonatal mortality to fewer than 12 per 1,000 live births using the “90/90/80/80” targets (90% ANC4, 90% skilled birth attendance, 80% PNC within two days, and 80% coverage of small/sick newborn care) to ensure quality care for all women and newborns. Currently, 64 countries are not on track to meet SDG 3.2 by 2030, and in Africa, progress must triple to meet the goal. Every year of delay results in lives lost that could be saved with the right interventions.
The Era of Proof Is Over. The Era of Scale Has Begun.
A global community joined the IMNHC 2026 proceedings to support improvements in maternal, newborn, and child health. The conference fostered a collective urgency to scale effective newborn care interventions to meet SDG 3.2. From technical sessions to plenaries to conversations among attendees, IMNHC 2026 explored how to implement proven methods to improve newborn care and answered broader questions such as:
- Why aren’t the measures that improve care available everywhere yet?
- What will it take to move from isolated pockets of progress to systems-wide transformation?
- What can we achieve by 2030?
As Aba Asibon, NEST360 Senior Implementation Advisor, put it:
“IMNHC 2026 was a symbolic representation of the need for collaboration between governments and partners to improve the health outcomes of mothers and newborns. Beyond the commitment of its attendees, the conference was also a reminder that we know the problems and have the solutions to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths; what is required now is strategic co-creation, investment, and implementation to effect change.”
Our preliminary findings from an ongoing study, drawn from 65 implementing hospitals comparing mortality data from September 2025 to 2021/2022 baselines, are among the clearest statements of what is possible. Statistically significant mortality reductions were recorded across all four Phase 1 countries (Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania), particularly among babies weighing 1,000–1,999g and above 2,000g. Further, 40% percent of facilities achieved reductions of 13% to 50%.
“At my first IMNH Conference three years ago (2023), countries committed to accelerating maternal and newborn health through two-year action plans aimed at achieving SDG 3.2 by 2030. This year in Nairobi, I had the privilege not only of attending but also of presenting NEST360 Malawi’s experience in tracking improvements through data use. Despite persistent global challenges, the progress made across the NSET360 implementing countries is remarkable, and it gives me hope that many sub-Saharan African countries can still reach the SDG target if we move with greater urgency and intention.”
So, the question IMNHC 2026 put squarely before us is what does it take to move from isolated pockets of progress to systems-wide transformation? That is the work to do over the next four years.
This is the first in a three-part series recapping NEST360’s participation at IMNHC 2026.
Next: Blog 2 — Moving Forward, Together: Systems Win. Single Interventions Do Not.
And: Blog 3 — Moving Forward, Together: From Commitment to Action. Country Ownership, Financing, and the Road to 2030
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