READY, SET, IMPLEMENT! Nourishing Progress: Delivering on Nutrition Commitments for Maternal and Newborn Health

16 June 2025 14:00 – 15:30 CET
Virtual

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The 2025 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, held in Paris on 27–28 March under the leadership of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, marked a pivotal moment in global nutrition advocacy and multistakeholder mobilization. With representation from governments, UN agencies, civil society, academia, private sector actors, youth, and donors, the Summit reaffirmed that nutrition is not a standalone goal—it is a foundational enabler of sustainable development, resilience, and equity. 

N4G Paris catalyzed renewed financial and political ambition, generating nearly US$28 billion in pledges to address all forms of malnutrition—from undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies to obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases. These pledges reflected a growing recognition of the centrality of nutrition to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). 

At the heart of this momentum lies the need to tackle preventable maternal and newborn mortality. Undernutrition and poor diets during pregnancy are key drivers of low birth weight, stillbirths, and maternal complications. In crisis-affected and underserved settings, these challenges are further exacerbated by food insecurity, inadequate antenatal care, and weak health systems. Nutrition must therefore be elevated as a cross-cutting policy lever to deliver on SDG 3.1 (reducing maternal mortality) and SDG 3.2 (ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five). 

This dialogue is taking place at a strategic moment of alignment and opportunity: 

  1. On 24 March 2025, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution co-sponsored by 139 Member States to extend the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition from 2025 to 2030, ensuring sustained political attention and coherence with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This extension provides a powerful mandate to align health, food, and nutrition systems for long-term impact. 
  2. The 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) in May 2025, will also present the opportunity for Member States to consider critical decisions on the Comprehensive Implementation Plan on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition — including the possibility to formally endorse the 2030 extension of the global nutrition targets initially set for 2025. While WHO and UNICEF proposed these extended targets as early as 2018, and have already been widely adopted by the greater UN community, international organizations, and global initiatives - formal political endorsement has yet to be secured. Doing so would enhance coherence and continuity in tracking progress toward global nutrition and health goals. 
  3. WHA78 will also debate a proposed resolution—backed by 21 countries—to strengthen regulation of the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes, marking a major step forward in protecting breastfeeding, safeguarding parental rights, and closing critical policy gaps in digital spaces. If adopted, this resolution would accelerate progress toward the World Health Assembly’s 2025 target of 50% exclusive breastfeeding and set a precedent for responsive, rights-based nutrition governance. 

These developments underscore a pivotal shift in global nutrition policy—anchoring nutrition not only as a development priority but as a driver of equity, resilience, and survival across the life course. 

Building on the 77th World Health Assembly resolution (WHA77) on accelerating progress on maternal, newborn and child mortality, which explicitly recognized nutrition as a determinant of health outcomes, this dialogue is the fifth in PMNCH’s Ready, Set, Implement series of high-impact policy conversations. It offers a unique opportunity to reflect, post-N4G Paris and pre-WHA78, on how countries and partners can translate global pledges into policy action that improves outcomes for women, newborns, and communities—especially in fragile and under-resourced settings. 

With just five years remaining until 2030, and against a backdrop of compounding global crises, this fifth in the series of the PMNCH Ready, Set, Implement high-impact dialogues will serve as a timely post-summit reflection and will examine how governments, donors, and partners can deliver on these dual commitments—translating N4G pledges into tangible progress on maternal and newborn health, particularly SDG 3.1 (reducing maternal mortality) and 3.2 (ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under five). Taking place just following the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) and building on global momentum from World Health Day, this high-level virtual policy dialogue will bring together senior leaders from governments, global health organizations, civil society, and youth networks to strategize on delivering results at scale. 

Objectives 

The dialogue aims to: 

  1. Position nutrition as a policy accelerator for achieving accelerated progress towards SDG 3.1 and 3.2, leveraging the linkage of commitments made at the N4G Paris Summit to elevate maternal and newborn health within national and global development agendas. 
  2. Explore policy and financing pathways to translate global pledges into measurable country-level action, focusing on governance structures, domestic resource mobilization, and alignment of multisectoral nutrition and health priorities. 
  3. Mobilize political will and multisectoral advocacy to embed maternal and newborn health outcomes within nutrition strategies, investment cases, and accountability frameworks following the 78th World Health Assembly and beyond for the UN Decade of Action. 

Expected Outcomes

  1. Increased policy visibility for the role of nutrition in delivering on global maternal and newborn health commitments, with greater alignment among stakeholders on shared priorities and entry points for action. 
  2. Concrete policy and financing recommendations for governments and partners to integrate and scale nutrition-responsive maternal and newborn health interventions within national health plans and multisectoral coordination platforms. 
  3. Strengthened political momentum and advocacy coalitions following WHA78 to drive accountability, resource alignment, and sustained leadership on maternal and newborn health within the global nutrition agenda. 

Agenda

Opening remarks and scene-setting - Setting the stage for a strategic post-N4G dialogue on how renewed financial and political commitments can drive measurable progress toward SDG 3.1 and 3.2.  

- Rajat Khosla, Executive Director, PMNCH 

Framing the dialogue: The power of nutrition for maternal and newborn health - Exploring the intersection of nutrition and health outcomes, this session will articulate the case for integrating maternal and newborn health within global and national nutrition strategies—drawing on the momentum from N4G Paris and WHA78.  

- David Nabarro, Strategic Director, 4SD and WHO Special Envoy 
- Agnès Soucat, Director of Health and Social Protection, AFD 
- Afshan Khan, UN ASG, Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement  

Policy and financing levers: Aligning commitments with SDG 3.1 and 3.2  - This session will examine how global nutrition and health commitments can be institutionalized through robust financing, policy coherence, and domestic accountability mechanisms—creating sustainable systems for integrated service delivery.  

- Flavia Bustreo, Vice President, Fondation Botnar  
- Aminata Koroma, Director of Food and Nutrition, Ministry of Health, Sierra Leone  
- Rhobhi Matinyi, Director, Health Systems Strengthening, Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF)   

From commitment to impact: Driving community-led, nutrition-responsive health solutions - Highlighting multisectoral, community-based, and youth-driven programmatic innovations and scalable models for delivering nutrition-sensitive maternal and newborn care.  

- Jane Napais Lankisa, Youth advocate, and Nutritionist, FEED the Children, Kenya   
- Dan Irvine, Senior Director, Health and Nutrition, World Vision International  
- Shawn Baker, Chief Program Officer, Helen Keller International  
- Caitlin McKay, Partnerships Manager, Lucky Iron Life  

Closing remarks - Global leadership perspectives on translating commitments into collective action and accountability for maternal and newborn health.  

- Luz Maria De Regil, Director of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO     

Wrap up and call to action - Reinforcing key messages and next steps.  

- Rajat Khosla, Executive Director, PMNCH