UNFPA and FIGO have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at UNFPA Headquarters in New York, marking a major step toward accelerating innovation, investment, and global collaboration in women’s health. This strategic partnership aims to strengthen maternal and reproductive health services while advancing efforts to eliminate women’s cancers worldwide.
The collaboration will support countries, upon request, in strengthening their national health systems by expanding access to tools and training for clinicians and enhancing coordination across the healthcare workforce. This includes obstetricians, midwives, and other maternal health professionals. The partnership will also focus on introducing practical innovations such as technology-enabled cervical cancer screening, digital triage tools for obstetric emergencies, and improved solutions to prevent postpartum haemorrhage.
Speaking on the agreement, Diene Keita highlighted the urgency of investing in maternal health, emphasizing that such investments save lives, strengthen communities, and require immediate global attention. She noted that the partnership would help scale evidence-based innovations, strengthen midwifery and obstetric care models, improve clinical standards, and mobilize resources to deliver measurable impact.
The agreement formalizes a partnership that combines UNFPA’s global reach and operational capacity with FIGO’s leadership in mobilizing healthcare professionals and its extensive international network of obstetricians and gynecologists. This collaboration is expected to enhance the dissemination and adoption of evidence-based clinical practices across regions.
The partnership represents a significant global opportunity to improve maternal and reproductive health outcomes, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. By linking professional expertise with innovation and health system strengthening, the initiative aims to expand access to quality healthcare services for women and girls.
Frank Louwen underscored the importance of the collaboration, stating that it reflects a shared commitment to advancing the health, rights, and dignity of women and girls worldwide. He emphasized that the partnership goes beyond cooperation, serving as a promise to improve access to reproductive health services, uphold human rights, and ensure no one is left behind.
Through this agreement, both organizations will work together to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions for maternal health and safe motherhood, promote global knowledge exchange on sexual and reproductive health technologies, and support advancements in areas such as self-care products and long-acting reversible contraception. The collaboration will also focus on strengthening digital health systems, enabling data-driven decision-making, building leadership and workforce capacity through training and clinical guidance, and promoting sustainable financing models to increase investment in women’s health.
