The Governments of Bangladesh and Sweden, in partnership with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, reaffirmed their collective commitment to strengthening the role of midwives in primary health care and expanding access to quality sexual and reproductive health and maternal and newborn care at an event on the margins of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The event, entitled “From Commitment to Action: Integrating Midwifery into Primary Health Care to End Preventable Maternal and Newborn Deaths,” also highlighted Bangladesh’s recent commitment to strengthening its health workforce by creating 25,000 midwifery posts, underscoring the importance of midwives in saving lives.

The discussions brought together government leaders, including H.E. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Tarique Rahman, H.E. Dr. Zubaida Rahman, First Lady of Bangladesh, cardiologist and Vice President of Ziaur Rahman Foundation, H.E. Ms. Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, and senior representatives from United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and development partners. Participants shared experiences and lessons learned on midwifery education, deployment, governance and financing, and explored opportunities for sustained investment in the health workforce.

“Every woman should have access to a skilled professional midwife as part of her primary health care team, close to where she lives. For Bangladesh, this means deploying midwives nationwide, strengthening communities, health services and referral pathways, and connecting citizens through a modern digital health system. Together these steps will help us build a healthy, thriving Bangladesh and this is how we move from commitment to action”, stated H.E. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Tarique Rahman highlighting Bangladesh’s healthcare transformation.