Advancing Maternal and Newborn Health Across South Asia
It was a privilege to host the launch of a US$5.2 million regional partnership between UNICEF and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aimed at advancing maternal and newborn health across Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
As the focal person for this regional partnership in Pakistan, I am particularly excited about what this collaboration can deliver. US$1.2 million will support maternal and newborn health programming in Pakistan, contributing to stronger health systems and improved care for mothers and newborns. Across the four countries, the partnership is expected to reach approximately 1.5 million beneficiaries, including mothers and newborns.
This partnership has been made possible through strong collaboration across countries, offices and teams. A special acknowledgement to Saadgi Rajani, who is leading the partnership from UNICEF’s Asia Pacific Regional Office, and Larissa Bruun, Chief of Partnerships, UNICEF Pakistan, for their leadership and support in taking this important collaboration forward.
We were honoured to welcome a delegation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Elder Kelly R. Johnson, Asia Area President; Mickey Lui, Director of Temporal Affairs – Asia; and Apapohn Pinsakol Saengsin, Area Welfare and Self-Reliance Manager, along with other colleagues and senior leaders.
It was equally an honour to have Pernille Ironside, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, join the launch, together with Khawaja Imran Nazir, Punjab Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare; Dr. Shabana Saleem, Director General Population, Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination; and Dr. Muhammad Naeem Awan, Director General Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The event also brought together senior representatives from Punjab’s health and population sectors, diplomatic missions, media, civil society and other partners.
The event was hosted by UNICEF’s Punjab Field Office under the leadership of Ramiz Behbudov, Chief of Field Office. Ramiz and his team played an instrumental role in bringing partners and stakeholders together for this important occasion, and I am grateful for their support.
Partnerships like this demonstrate what becomes possible when shared purpose, resources and expertise come together around a critical development challenge. Improving maternal and newborn health requires more than individual interventions. It calls for stronger and more resilient health systems, sustained investment and collaboration across sectors.
For me, it was an immense pleasure to host this important moment and to see a regional commitment translate into concrete support for mothers, newborns and health systems in Pakistan and across South Asia.
Grateful to everyone who contributed to making this partnership possible.
Now comes the most important part: turning this commitment into lasting results for mothers and newborns in the communities we serve.