Countdown to 2030 for Women's, Children's, and Adolescents' Health: Building country capacity to analyze and use available evidence to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths

This Countdown to 2030 side session will explore how countries are building analytical capacity to analyze and use data to accelerate progress in reducing maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths. Drawing on lessons from the 2025 multi-country workshop and multi-country Countdown studies, the session will feature experiences from Kenya, Zambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and the DRC on how evidence is being translated into policies and programs. It will also present key findings from Countdown's multi-country study on the maternal and newborn mortality transition and equity analyses linking women's empowerment to service coverage. Global partners - including WHO, PMNCH, UNICEF, GFF and the Gates Foundation - will discuss how such country-driven analyses can inform collective accountability and investments. The session will engage participants interactively to identify strategies for scaling evidence use and sustaining country-led data platforms for maternal and newborn health improvement.