Midwives play a central role in maternal and newborn health. So, it is fitting that their efforts took the spotlight at a two-day event – The 5^th Global Midwifery Symposium – held during the first ever International Maternal and Newborn Health Conference (IMNHC) in May 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Nearly a year ago, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Wilson Center’s Sarah B. Barnes spoke with Member of Parliament Kira Rudik about the impact of the war on Ukraine’s women and children. Barnes and Rudik spoke again a few days ago, as the first anniversary of the conflict approached. Their conversation touched on the current state of the war, including impacts on infrastructure, the ongoing refugee crisis, schooling for Ukraine’s children, and retaining Ukraine’s heritage.

“Too many children are dying in the first month of life,” said Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet at a recent launch event for the 2023 Lancet Series on Breastfeeding, hosted by The Royal Society of Medicine, London. Indeed, the global numbers are staggering. Horton observed that 2.3 million children died in the first month of life in 2021—that’s more than 6,000 newborns dying every single day.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into the open two things that much of the world has always assumed but not fully acknowledged: women do the vast majority of caregiving, and caregiving is grossly undervalued. Caregiving is also the fastest-growing economic sector in the world—projected to add 150 million jobs by 2030. Global societal changes, like low birth rates, demographic aging, and an increase in female labor force participation, are basic drivers of the continued growth of this sector. But because in many cultures care work is considered “instinctive” for women—a type of work not requiring skill—it has remained virtually invisible, unpaid or underpaid and unregulated. It is also often stigmatized, especially when relegated to already marginalized and underrepresented populations.” – Pandemic Learning: Migrant Care Workers and Their Families Are Essential in a Post-COVID-19 World

When Kira Rudik, Ukrainian Member of Parliament and Leader of the Holos/Voice Party spoke with the Wilson Center’s Maternal Health Initiative and Middle East Program on the one month anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she emphasized the transformative nature of the conflict for every citizen.

“Putin thought he would be fighting our army,” says Rudik. “Instead, he’s fighting every single man and woman in Ukraine, and there’s a huge difference.”