PRAIA, Cabo Verde – The India-UN Development Partnership Fund is supporting Cabo Verde in strengthening maternal, newborn and child health services across nine inhabited islands through a new USD 749,000 initiative implemented in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Health of Cabo Verde.
The 24-month project, “Future First: Strengthening Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Cabo Verde” (2026–2027), aims to reduce geographic and social disparities in access to quality maternal and neonatal care, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 3, 5, 10 and 17.
Cabo Verde has made notable progress in child survival and vaccination coverage over recent decades. However, disparities in maternal and neonatal health outcomes persist, particularly in perinatal care, where preventable conditions continue to contribute significantly to child mortality. The project responds to these challenges through a comprehensive, systems-based approach.
Interventions will focus on strengthening governance frameworks for maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), improving Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) services nationwide, enhancing data systems, and building the capacity of health professionals through targeted in-service training. Health facilities will receive essential maternal and neonatal equipment to support standardized, high-quality service delivery.
The initiative will also support Cabo Verde’s process toward validation of the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (eMTCT) of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B by expanding rapid testing coverage, strengthening laboratory systems and reinforcing monitoring mechanisms.
A central component of the project is South-South cooperation between India and Cabo Verde. Through technical exchanges, peer learning workshops and knowledge-sharing platforms, health professionals will benefit from India’s experience in cost-effective maternal and neonatal care and digital health innovations. This collaboration reinforces institutional partnerships and promotes the adaptation of proven solutions to Cabo Verde’s island context.
The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), as Secretariat of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, facilitates the partnership by ensuring strategic oversight, results-based reporting and knowledge documentation. UNOSSC also supports the dissemination of lessons learned, enabling South-South solutions generated through the initiative to inform broader development cooperation efforts.
Complementing health system strengthening, a nationwide communication campaign will engage media professionals, civil society organizations and community leaders to raise awareness on neonatal health and stillbirth prevention, promoting early care-seeking behaviours and sustained community engagement.
By 2027, the initiative is expected to benefit approximately 14,000 pregnant women, 14,000 newborns and children under one year of age, and 35,000 children under five across Cabo Verde, while reinforcing national health governance and reducing disparities in access to quality services.
Through strengthened South-South partnerships and coordinated national implementation, the India-UN Development Partnership Fund continues to advance equitable, sustainable health systems – placing women and children at the centre of development progress.
