Protecting Newborns and Strengthening Antenatal Care, Through RSV Maternal Vaccination

March 23 | 11:30-13:30 | Edge Convention Center Ruby Room

Join us for a lunch session to learn how the new maternal vaccine against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) can save newborn lives and improve the quality of antenatal care (ANC), and to share your perspectives on what programs need to know about vaccinating during pregnancy.

This session, sponsored by Jhpiego, will feature field experts and program leaders who will share insights from research, policy, and country experiences, followed by an open discussion to gather participant feedback and ideas.

Lunch will be served, and the session is open to all delegates. Please register here if you anticipate attending this pre-conference session.

Closing the Gaps: Revolutionizing the Path from Family Planning to Safe Births for Thriving Mothers and Newborns

Tuesday, March 24 | 7:00-8:30 | Edge Convention Center 

This session will discuss quality maternal and newborn health care for all, including prevention of stillbirths, local and regional partnerships, learning, and coordination, and follow-up care into infancy and childhood for small and vulnerable newborns

With fewer than five years remaining to achieve the 2030 targets, the newborn community stands at a defining inflection point. We know what saves lives. The question now is whether we can align leadership, financing, professional action, and system delivery quickly enough to change outcomes within this decade.

At IMNCH 2026 in Nairobi, Jhpiego, in partnership with Kenya's Ministry of Health, will convene a high-level breakfast dialogue focused on one urgent priority: accelerating measurable progress in birth outcomes. In collaboration with FIGO, AlignMNH, Kenya Pediatrics Association, Midwifery Association of Kenya, KOGS, African Neonatal Association, and other global partners, the session will examine what it will take to move from isolated interventions to aligned effort across maternal health, nutrition, quality of care, and newborn services, anchored in a shared measure of success.

The dialogue will culminate in the launch of a collective action platform to align country and global efforts, strengthen accountability, and accelerate measurable progress in birth outcomes before 2030.

Register here.

From Policy to Practice: Real-World Experience Scaling PPH Innovations 

March 24 | 17:30-20:00 | Annex Conference Hall

This session will feature country-led solutions to scale and sustain uptake of essential PPH innovations. The goal is to move beyond discussing the “Roadmap to combat PPH between 2023-2030” to spotlight how countries are implementing these innovations in real-world practice. 

Panelists from India, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Zambia will share real-world evidence of their work and its impact, centering country leadership and the voices of those implementing these solutions on the ground. 

LBW 30x30: Why Low Birth Weight Matters More Than We Invest In It

Wednesday, March 25 | 7:30-9:00 | Edge Convention Center Boardroom 23

Jhpiego, AlignMNH, and Kenya's Ministry of Health are convening this discussion to elevate low birth weight as a high-leverage determinant of health and development. Defined as birth weight below 2,500 grams, low birth weight is an indicator of early-life disadvantage and a core indicator of the WHO Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework. Evidence consistently links low birth weight to increased neonatal mortality, impaired growth, and neurodevelopment, and higher risk of chronic disease and poorer economic outcomes later in life. While progress is being made, accelerated gains will depend on implementation-ready, aligned action that translates global commitment into coordinated, country-led progress on birth outcomes.