H6 Partnership Annual Report 2017

The H6 Partnership builds on the progress made towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and contributes to the collaboration required to support countries as they move forward to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It focuses on 75 high burden countries where more than 85 per cent of all maternal and child deaths occur, including the 49 lowest income countries.

This joint partnership of six United Nations agencies, functional since 2008, started supporting the UN Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health from 2010, and subsequently the updated Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030), also known as Every Woman Every Child (EWEC).

The H6 Joint Programme, the operational programme implemented by the H6 Partnership, has received support from Canada and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) for a total of $99.76 million.

The aim is to provide catalytic and strategic support to national health systems to address the root causes of poor maternal and child health outcomes in 10 countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Zambia and Zimbabwe, along with global-level activities. Collaboration with Canada started in 2012 and ended in 2016, whereas collaboration with Sida covers 2013 to 2018.

This report reviews 2017 progress made possible with Sida support.