A new partnership helping more Ethiopian mothers welcome life safely

As her labor started, 22-year-old Dhaki Dida embraced a vital, life-altering change: moving from traditional birth attendants to professional healthcare. She promptly went to the nearest health facility, to deliver her baby safely. At the Dida Yabelo Health Center in the Borena Zone, Oromia Region, midwives were prepared to support her. Within hours, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl with the help of trained staff and essential medicines to handle any potential complications.

“I’m very happy with the care I received,” Dhaki said, smiling as she held her newborn.

Her positive experience stands in stark contrast to the national reality, where Ethiopia still faces high maternal mortality rates of 141 per 100,000 live births. For many families across Ethiopia, this moment of pure relief is not the norm; it is a hard-won miracle that underscores the importance of a robust healthcare system. Now, a landmark national partnership is set to ensure that this story of safety becomes the standard for every mother, no matter where she lives.

A lifeline for mothers and newborns

The Ministry of Health-Ethiopia and development partners, including UNFPA, signed a landmark agreement - the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH) Compact in March 2026.

While the agreement is a solemn promise on paper, for communities like Dhaki’s, it represents a lifeline.

The RMNCH Compact was developed in response to a looming commodity security crisis, building on the Family Planning Compact UNFPA signed with the Government of Ethiopia in recent years to expand coordinated financing across the continuum of care. It ensures access to essential maternal, newborn, and child health services, from antenatal supplies and life-saving treatments to modern contraceptives and care for common childhood and neonatal conditions.

Through a three-year co-financing model, the compact integrates domestic funding into Ethiopia’s health budget, strengthens supply chains to reach remote areas, and builds national capacity for sustainable health system management beyond 2028. Its core goal is to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths by ensuring a reliable supply of essential medicines.

UNFPA served as a key technical architect, helping to design the strategy, prioritize actions, and align implementation with national guidelines. It also facilitated global reviews to ensure the agreement adhered to international best practices and played a catalytic role in mobilizing resources and coordinating partners. 

The RMNCH Compact will unleash $342.4 million over the next three years to equip health facilities across Ethiopia with essential supplies - from lifesaving medicines and reproductive health commodities to vital childbirth and newborn care services - to improve health outcomes.

At the heart of the compact is a shared responsibility model: development partners have pledged $171.2 million, matched dollar-for-dollar by the Ethiopian government, to strengthen maternal and child health services nationwide.

The partnership brings together global and bilateral leaders in health, including UNFPA, UNICEF, the World Bank, the Gates Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, The Beginning Fund, Mohamed Bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, and the governments of Ireland and The Netherlands.

Together, they are united in a single mission: no woman, no child, left without the essential health care they deserve.

Hope in health facilities across Ethiopia

For frontline health workers like Wubayehu Shasho, the midwife who helped Dhaki deliver safely at the Dida Yabelo Health Center, such investments translate into improved care.

Support from UNFPA and partners has helped equip facilities with essential maternity supplies and lifesaving equipment, strengthening their ability to provide safe deliveries and emergency care. However, shortages and limitations persist in the Compact's aims. 

The real impact of the RMNCH Compact will be measured in rural health facilities, where midwives are ready to assist pregnant women, and in maternity waiting homes, where women from distant villages await the birth of their children. 

For mothers like Dhaki, these investments provide reassurance that, when the time comes to give birth, the care they need will be available.

The RMNCH Compact is not just about funding a supply chain; it is a commitment to fortify the entire primary healthcare system, ensuring that quality maternal and newborn care is a standard expectation, not a fortunate exception, for every family in Ethiopia.