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Table 2 Global key events and timelines

From: Building on momentum from the global campaigns: an exploration of factors that influenced prioritization of stillbirth prevention at the national level in Uganda

Year

Key event

Link to global campaign theme

Relevance to stillbirth response

2003

Foundation of the International Stillbirth Alliance in the USA

Actions against stigma.

Research.

Improved care.

Advocacy

Combine healthcare professional knowledge and passion for families to advance stillbirth prevention research, medical/clinical care, and bereavement services.

2005

First MDG report of the countdown to 2015 with stillbirth not reflected as an indicator

Establish burden and disparities

Absence of stillbirth as an indicator for maternal and neonatal health outcomes later informed WHO’s decision to include it as a quality of care indicator.

2009

Seattle conference convened by Global Alliance for Prevention of Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS)

Evidence of cost effective interventions

Global and country targets for stillbirth reduction

Drawing global attention to pre-term and stillbirth which had shown less progress compared to maternal and child mortality.

2010

Countdown to 2015 decade report (2000–2010):

taking stock of maternal, newborn and child survival

Establish burden and disparities

Integrated prevention

• Considering stillbirth as a vital indicator for maternal and child health outcomes.

• Provision of evidence on scale of stillbirth and amplifying the global burden.

• Raising visibility

• Promote prioritization of intervention to address the burden.

2010

Launch of the UN Secretary general’s Global strategy “Every woman every Child”

Integrated prevention

Highlights key areas for urgent attention to enhance financing, policy and service delivery with a newborn survival component which included addressing stillbirth

2011

Lancet stillbirth series: Call to action

Evidence of cost effective intervention.

Progress monitoring.

Integrated prevention.

Investigate causes.

Establish burden and disparities.

Research.

Action against stigma.

Advocacy.

Reviewed status of stillbirth and advocacy to get stillbirth out of the shadow with a call to all stakeholders to take action geared towards reduction.

2011

Launch of saving Lives at Birth

Integrated prevention.

Evidence of cost effective interventions.

Increased funding from global health stakeholders for maternal and child health interventions with neonatal component and specifically targeting combating preventable stillbirth

2012

Rollout of Saving Mothers Giving Lives (SMGL)

Integrated prevention.

Evidence of cost effective interventions.

Progress monitoring

Actions against stigma

• Enhance existing district maternal and child health services to strengthen evidence-based interventions through a three delays model.

• Reduce pregnancy and childbirth related deaths including stillbirth and primarily focusing on the critical period of labor, delivery, and 48 h postpartum when most maternal and newborn deaths happen.

• Harnessing of the public-private partnership.

2013

First Global Conference on newborn survival held in April 2013 in Johannesburg South Africa.

Evidence of cost effective interventions.

Integrated prevention

Progress monitoring.

Establish burden and disparities.

Global and country targets for prevention.

• First Global conference for newborn summit aimed at accelerating scale-up of high impact interventions to address leading causes of newborn mortality.

• Review progress to tackling preventable newborn deaths and call to action for urgency to address the problem.

• Develop ENAP in support of global strategy for Women’s and children’s health, Every woman Every Child movement and build recommendations for UN commission on Life saving commodities, A promise Renewed to child survival and Family Planning 2020 objectives.

2014

Every newborn action plan (ENAP) in support of earlier Every Woman Every Child.

Integrated prevention.

Evidence of cost effective interventions

Global and country targets for prevention.

• Advances the objectives of the global strategy for women and children by focusing on quality of care at birth with special attention to newborn health and stillbirth as unfinished agenda from the MDGs

• Sets global and national targets for preventable stillbirth reduction and milestones for quality of care.

2015

World Bank Business plan-GFF in support of Every Woman Every Child

Integrated prevention.

Evidence-based cost effective interventions.

Operationalizes the UN Secretary general’s global strategy objective of innovative approaches to financing for health in response to the funding gap to address the RMNCAH unfinished agenda post MDG including reduction of stillbirth

2016

Lancet series; ending preventable stillbirths

Progress monitoring.

Evidence of cost effective intervention.

Integrated prevention.

Establish burden and disparities.

Research

Action against stigma.

Advocacy.

Global advocacy and call to action to address preventable stillbirth

2016

ISA five year strategic plan

Progress monitoring.

Evidence of cost effective interventions.

Integrated prevention.

Action against stigma.

Advocacy

Through the strategic plan led to establishment of technical working group strategy to pursue objectives of the five year duration while coordinating international response.

Establishment of technical working groups for global coordination of efforts

2016

BMC stillbirth series (care after stillbirth)

Actions against stigma.

Evidence of cost effective intervention

Integrated prevention

Burden of stillbirth, impact on families and calls for action to address social determinants of health which are the underlying causes.

Calls to link research to interventions to address the causes

2020

UNICEF/WHO stillbirth epidemiology report

Establish burden and disparities.

Progress monitoring.

Global estimates of stillbirth burden.