UNITED NATIONS, New York – The Government of Sweden has announced it is investing 60 million Swedish kronor (approximately US$6.2 million) in the Maternal and Newborn Health Fund of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, which is the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency. The funds will support UNFPA’s Midwifery Accelerator, a global initiative to strengthen the midwifery workforce and scale up midwifery models of care.
“There is a huge global deficit in midwives, who are a key professional group in strengthening maternal and newborn care,” said Benjamin Dousa, Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. “Support for midwives is a cost-effective investment that helps to save lives and promote health, and contributes to economic and social development.”
The Accelerator was launched at the 58th United Nations Commission on Population and Development (CPD) in April 2025 by UNFPA together with Jhpiego – a global health nonprofit affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, the International Confederation of Midwives, UNICEF and WHO. It brings together governments, development partners and professional associations to advance investment in midwifery.
The aim is to address critical workforce shortages to ensure safe, respectful and high-quality care for every woman and newborn, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 70 per cent of global maternal deaths occur.
Investing in the full potential of midwives
A champion country of the Accelerator, Sweden views skilled midwifery as a cornerstone of sexual and reproductive health and rights. And as the largest donor to UNFPA’s Maternal and Newborn Health Fund, Sweden has supported the education, professional development and deployment of more than 860,000 midwives, helping millions of women access safer prenatal, antenatal and childbirth care since 2008.
Universal midwifery coverage could save 4.3 million lives annually and deliver 90 per cent of essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health services. To help realize this potential, Sweden’s contribution will advance the Midwifery Accelerator across three strategic pillars.
First, the initiative supports priority countries to develop national midwifery roadmaps, workforce assessments and investment cases, while strengthening political commitment through global advocacy. Second, through education, deployments and retaining midwives, it will strengthen the workforce by updating competency-based curricula to international standards, establishing simulation laboratories in regional centres of excellence, and expanding high-quality in-service training. Finally, the Accelerator will empower national midwifery associations through direct support, while increasing awareness and demand for midwifery models of care through strategic communications and advocacy.
“Midwives are at the heart of healthier communities, stronger health systems, and more resilient societies,” said UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita. “When we invest in educating, deploying and retaining midwives, we invest in dignified care, safer births, healthier beginnings, and a more equitable future for all."
A high-return investment in women and newborns
Sweden is a longstanding donor to UNFPA, and this additional contribution reflects a shared commitment to investing in solutions that save lives and strengthen health systems. Moreover, midwifery is the ultimate “best buy” in achieving universal health coverage, with up to ten-fold return on investment through long-term social and economic gains.
With this support, UNFPA and partners will help governments develop national midwifery investment cases to build a strong evidence base for introducing or scaling up midwifery models of care, and accelerate progress towards a future where every woman and newborn has access to quality, respectful care.
