Abstract
BackgroundPreterm birth and stillbirth are complex local and global health problems requiring an interdisciplinary approach and an international commitment. Stakeholders developed recommendations for a Global Action Agenda (GAA) at the 2009 International Conference on Prematurity and Stillbirth. The primary goal of this GAA is to forge a collaborative effort toward achieving common goals to prevent preterm birth and stillbirth, and to improve related maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes.Conference participantsGAPPS co-convened this four-day conference with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, March of Dimes, PATH, Save the Children, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Participants included about 200 leading international researchers, policymakers, health care practitioners and philanthropists. A near-final draft of this report was sent three weeks in advance to help co-chairs and participants prepare for workgroup discussions.Global Action AgendaTwelve thematic workgroups, composed of interdisciplinary experts, made recommendations on short-, intermediate-, and long-term milestones, and success metrics. Recommendations are based on the following themes: (1) advance discovery of the magnitude, causes and innovative solutions; (2) promote development and delivery of low-cost, proven interventions; (3) improve advocacy efforts to increase awareness that preterm birth and stillbirth are leading contributors to the global health burden; (4) increase resources for research and implementation; and (5) consider ethical and social justice implications throughout all efforts.SummaryThe conference provided an unprecedented opportunity for maternal, newborn and child health stakeholders to create a collaborative strategy for addressing preterm birth and stillbirth globally. Participants and others have already completed or launched work on key milestones identified in the GAA. Updates will be provided at www.gapps.org.
Highlights
Preterm birth and stillbirth are complex local and global health problems requiring an interdisciplinary approach and an international commitment
Summary: The conference provided an unprecedented opportunity for maternal, newborn and child health stakeholders to create a collaborative strategy for addressing preterm birth and stillbirth globally
Participants and others have already completed or launched work on key milestones identified in the Global Action Agenda (GAA)
Summary
Despite the significant global burden of preterm birth and stillbirth, these issues have attracted remarkably little attention and investment. Format of working conference All participants received a nearly completed draft of articles 1 through 6 of this report three weeks prior to the conference, as well as summary presentations at the beginning of the meeting by the GAPPS team of investigators This information provided a solid foundation that helped make workgroup discussions highly productive and accelerated the creation of these recommendations for a Global Action Agenda (GAA). Resources and funding Overarching goal Improve coordination and increase global and national funding for preterm birth and stillbirth within the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) context. Post-conference momentum This collaborative strategy to address preterm birth and stillbirth will help accelerate improvements in maternal, newborn and child health Progress on these inseparable outcomes depends on a more coordinated and interdisciplinary approach. Overarching Goal: To gain comprehensive knowledge of the biology and regulation of human gestational biology in order to identify pathways and critical junctures to facilitate prediction and prevention of preterm birth and stillbirth
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