(KPL) Across the Lao PDR, more than 18,000 babies were born last year, representing joy for their families and a hopeful future for the country.

Under the global theme of “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures”, this year’s World Health Day serves as an important opportunity to reflect on essential role mothers, children and adolescents play in building healthy families and communities – and how we can best safeguard this important human capital.

Each of these numbers represents a heartwarming story – a new life, a happy family, a hard-working midwife, nurse or village health volunteer – and a stronger community.

Maternal health is a cornerstone of public health. When mothers are healthy, they are better able to care for their children and adolescents, leading to a healthier and more prosperous nation. However, despite improvements in healthcare systems, maternal mortality remains a significant issue in many parts of the world, including the Lao PDR. The tragic, preventable loss of a single mother is a stark reminder of the gaps that still exist in healthcare access and quality.

Data from a United Nations report shows that between 2000 and 2023, maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in the Lao PDR dropped from 609 to 112, an 81.6% reduction, one of the fastest declines globally. Similarly, the mortality rate for children under five decreased from 108 to 28 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is tremendous progress, reflecting improved healthcare access, pre-birth and birth care, and the capabilities of village health volunteers, midwives, nurses and doctors across the country.

While there have been significant gains more work is needed. These numbers have declined but still remain higher compared to neighboring countries.

As the Lao PDR nears the milestone of graduating from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, maternal, child and adolescent health will be a critical indicator for a meaningful graduation. Safeguarding the health and rights of all mothers, children and young people is not only the right thing to do—it is essential and an investment in a healthier, prosperous future for the country, and a decisive step toward the nation’s graduation from the LDC list.

Achieving this vision requires accelerating efforts, sustained investment, and a national commitment to new and integrated ways of working.

To reach these goals, we must adopt a multifaceted approach:

First, it is critical to integrate and provide maternal, newborn, child and adolescent healthcare, immunization, and nutrition services at health facilities, ensuring families and young people can quickly and conveniently access all the support they are entitled to in one place. This will improve efficiency, save resources, maximize impact, make care more convenient for families, and avoid missed opportunities - no woman, child or adolescent should fall through the cracks.

Second, we need to strengthen targeted approaches to address persistent challenges. With stronger data, we can identify priorities and gaps – particularly mothers and children which are missing out – and address the root causes of issues related to healthcare quality or access.

Third, we need to further improve coordination among development partners. Reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health has benefited from significant investments – and we have seen the benefits – but as funding declines, we must do everything possible to avoid duplications, focus on every partner’s comparative advantage, make the most of donor and government funding, and ensure that efforts are aligned to meet common goals.

Finally – women, adolescents and children and their families should be well equipped and empowered with the information they need to make better health choices. Community engagement and education, leaving no one behind, to promote healthy behaviors and encourage timely healthcare access will save lives.

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception to age two, are critical for physical, cognitive, and emotional development. Getting this right, by ensuring mothers and babies receive proper healthcare and nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood, is essential for long-term health and stronger communities.

The upcoming update to the Lao PDR’s Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Strategy is a valuable opportunity to incorporate these changes, prioritize investments, ensure significant improvements in maternal and child health, and guarantee a brighter future for Lao PDR.

Over the past 14 years, the United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) for strengthening RMNCAH in the Lao PDR, funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, has benefited hundreds of thousands of mothers and children in need. With support from UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO, the quality of maternal and childcare has improved – for example, the percentage of pregnant women tested for anemia during antenatal care, to safeguard against potentially fatal complications, increased from 35% to 69.5% between 2019 and 2024. Similarly, the UNJP helped develop national standards, changing the way maternal services are delivered, and contributing to more efficient coordination among the more than 45 development partners working in this crucial area.

It is also worth noting the important role of the UNJP in complementing other RMNCAH projects, particularly via national standards and guidelines now in use by others nationwide, promoting healthcare quality and improvements across the country. This highlights the value of the UNJP’s technical leadership in addressing remaining issues around governance, coordination, and healthcare service and quality. All must be enhanced to address remaining gaps and reach the most vulnerable – including through innovative approaches.

As we commemorate World Health Day, we jointly renew our collective commitment to safeguarding the health of every mother, child and young person in the Lao PDR – and urge partners to join us in this endeavor. Together, we can give every mother, child, adolescent, and young person the opportunity for a healthy beginning and hopeful future.

Investing in maternal and child health strengthens families and communities and ensures the best possible future for the Lao PDR. We will continue to strive for a world where no mother or child’s life is needlessly lost, where families thrive, communities prosper, and all individuals are given the chance to fulfill their full potential.

Since 2011, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has been an essential partner in improving maternal and child health, via the United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn Child and Adolescent Health in the Lao PDR.

By Chargé d'affaires Thomas Lammar, Embassy of Luxembourg; Dr Timothy Armstrong, WHO Representative; Bilal Aurang Zeb Durrani, UNICEF Country Representative; Dr Bakhtiyor Kadyrov, UNFPA Country Representative.

KPL