Lithuania has launched a series of ambitious initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes for preterm and sick newborns, positioning the country as a leader in Europe’s efforts to secure the well-being of its youngest citizens. The announcement, made through a Call to Action at the Growing Europe 2025 summit in Vilnius, was attended by Lithuania’s First Lady, Diana Nausėdienė, alongside policy-makers, health experts, and civil society leaders. The summit focused on Europe’s demographic challenges, including declining birth rates, ageing populations, and depopulating regions, which threaten stability, prosperity, and resilience across the continent.
Each year, over 400,000 babies are born preterm or sick, with preterm birth remaining the leading cause of child mortality under five in Lithuania and across the WHO European Region. Globally, one in ten babies is born prematurely, resulting in nearly 900,000 preventable deaths annually. Across Europe, neonatal mortality rates have risen in six countries and plateaued in three others, highlighting persistent inequalities where some countries have mortality rates up to 28 times higher than the lowest-performing nations. Lithuania’s strategy aims to counter these trends by enhancing family-centred neonatal care, expanding access to pre- and post-natal services, and supporting parents in raising children without social or economic barriers.
Lithuania’s newborn health initiative focuses on providing every child with a strong start, ensuring high-quality neonatal care across hospitals and regions. The strategy includes policies that reduce financial and logistical burdens for families, such as parental leave, childcare support, and housing incentives. It also emphasizes equitable access to essential services in rural and underserved areas, integration of family needs into workforce planning, and embedding family and newborn health into national strategies with measurable targets. The initiative encourages collaboration between governments, healthcare systems, NGOs, academia, and businesses to secure long-term impact.
These measures align with broader European recognition that family and demographic policies are critical to national security. With fertility rates below replacement levels, Europe faces shrinking workforces, potential economic decline, and weakened community vitality. Lithuania’s approach demonstrates how targeted health interventions, particularly for preterm and sick infants, can strengthen societal stability and prosperity. The summit highlighted Lithuania’s commitments as a model of evidence-based, human-centred policy integrating health care, social support, and economic planning. Families are expected to benefit immediately from improved neonatal care, compensated medical services, and parental support programs, emphasizing that each preterm baby who survives and thrives represents a tangible investment in the future.
Lithuania’s efforts also advance the second European Programme of Work, 2026–2030 (EPW2), reinforcing the regional commitment to reducing health inequalities and ensuring every child has the strongest possible start in life. High-quality neonatal care is central to building resilient, people-centred health systems capable of addressing current and future demographic challenges. The country’s approach exemplifies a growing European trend to integrate maternal, newborn, and child health into broader social, economic, and demographic policies. The Call to Action supports WHO/Europe’s efforts under EPW2, emphasizing that safeguarding the health of children and families is foundational to resilient societies.
The Growing Europe 2025 summit, organized by “Growing Lithuania” and the Lithuania Premature Baby Association “Neišnešiotukas” under the patronage of the First Lady, showcased Lithuania’s leadership in evidence-based, family-centred policies. WHO/Europe has recognized these efforts as a significant contribution toward creating healthier, fairer, and more resilient societies across Europe and Central Asia.
