World Health Day 2025

Healthy mothers and healthy babies are the foundation of healthy families and communities, helping ensure hopeful futures for us all.

This World Health Day (April 7, 2025), WHO is launching a year-long campaign focused on maternal and newborn health - Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures - calling on governments and healthcare organizations to intensify efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritize the long-term health and well-being of women.  

WHO and partners will also share useful information to support healthy pregnancies and births, and better postnatal health.

WHO South-East Asia Region has made considerable progress towards improving the health of mothers and newborns with a targeted approach to reducing maternal and child mortality, and stillbirths. The progress has accelerated significantly since the onset of the era of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, with just five years remaining to reach the SDG targets, challenges remain.

More than 2700 women die monthly in the Region during childbirth and postnatal period while more than 1500 newborns die every day before completing their first 28 days of life. Additionally, the Region contributes to more than 22% of the global burden of stillbirths. These are all preventable!

For women and babies to survive and thrive, they deserve high quality care that supports them physically and emotionally. Health systems must evolve to manage the many health issues that impact maternal and newborn health.

Together, let’s work towards healthy beginnings, hopeful futures. You can get involved by sharing information about this campaign using #HopefulFutures and #HealthForAll.