Ten years ago this month, Canada rallied world leaders to invest in the health of mothers and newborns. But COVID-19 and the ongoing gap in gender equality threaten a decade of dramatic progress.

The Muskoka Initiative, launched at the Canadian G8 Summit in 2010, leveraged $10 billion from governments and organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, increasing access to healthcare, vaccinations and nutritional support for women and young children around the world.

Since then, the initiative helped accelerate progress. The child mortality rate has fallen 59 per cent, and maternal mortality dropped 38 per cent from global rates in 2000. However, progress is stalling. Countries where women and newborns are the most vulnerable aren’t on track to meet health targets under the Sustainable Development Goals.

“COVID-19 is showing us if we don’t keep focus on while expanding to interlinked areas such as gender equality, we risk losing ground,” says Abena Thomas, manager of World Vision Canada’s maternal and child health programs. World Vision was part of the coalition that helped put this issue on the G8 agenda.

Recently, World Vision studied the aftermath of epidemics including the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Even after the epidemic subsided, fear of Ebola caused people to avoid health facilities, leading to a surge in deaths from other diseases including Malaria. With more health resources devoted to fighting the epidemic, vaccination and nutritional programs had faltered. The group most affected were mothers and young children.

As COVID-19 recedes, women and children could again be harmed, but on a vastly wider scale. Canada and the international community can’t lose sight of its investment in maternal health. Post-pandemic vaccination and nutrition programs will keep us from losing ground. We can gain even more ground with additional investments in women’s rights.

“Advances in child and maternal health cannot be separated from agency and equity for women and girls,” says Thomas.

Child marriage, a human rights issue, is also a health concern connected to pre-term births—a leading cause of death among newborns.

All mothers must be empowered to make health decisions. In Afghanistan, for instance, men traditionally make the health decisions, often preventing pregnant women from getting the care they need even when it is accessible. Mothers have the right to insist on giving birth in a facility, or with a skilled home birth attendant, but don’t always know their rights.

“Women need to not only know the health services are there but have the power and the rights to use them,” Thomas adds.

Fortunately, we’re starting to see this rights-based shift in our approach to maternal health. Last year, the Government of Canada announced a $1.4 billion annual investment in reproductive health around the world, with a focus on women’s rights. In March, the Slaight Family Foundation donated $15 million to support projects by non-profits (including WE Charity) that address the health and rights of women and girls.

Ten years ago, led by Canada, the world made a commitment to mothers and children. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening progress that was already precarious. As we look to the next ten years, let’s ensure that progress continues to accelerate.