As we commemorate World Preeclampsia Day 2026, we are reminded that maternal health is not only a health issue but also a matter of equity, human rights, social justice, and political responsibility. No woman should die while giving life, and no family should suffer preventable loss because healthcare systems failed to respond in time.
This year’s global conversations, including the recent WHO Global Preeclampsia Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, have reinforced the urgent need for stronger advocacy, accountability, political mobilization, and multisectoral collaboration to accelerate progress in reducing maternal and newborn deaths associated with preeclampsia.
It is against this backdrop that we, the Global Preeclampsia Advocates (GPA), issue this statement as a call to action for governments, institutions, development partners, civil society, and communities to prioritize preeclampsia within national and global maternal health agendas.
For many survivors and families, days such as World Preeclampsia Day are not merely commemorative moments; they represent trauma, scars, anxiety, fear, grief, and unanswered questions. Behind every statistic is a woman, a newborn, and a family whose life has been forever altered by preeclampsia and related hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
For healthcare providers, this day serves as an urgent reminder of the need to continuously strengthen the quality of maternal and newborn care, improve early detection systems, and ensure that every woman receives timely, respectful, and lifesaving care regardless of where she lives. For policymakers, this occasion must inspire honest reflection on persistent health system gaps, progress made, and the barriers that continue to prevent women from accessing equitable maternal healthcare
services.
For policymakers, this occasion must inspire honest reflection on persistent health system gaps, progress made, and the barriers that continue to prevent women from accessing equitable maternal healthcare services.
For political leaders, World Preeclampsia Day should reinforce the urgent need for increased investments in maternal and newborn health systems, healthcare workforce capacity, research, innovation, essential medicines, diagnostics, and equitable access to quality care.
The recent Global Preeclampsia Summit convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Kigali highlighted the urgent need for stronger multisectoral partnerships, coordinated collaboration, and harmonized global action to reduce preeclampsia-associated maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity. Importantly, the Summit’s discussions and landscape analysis on advocacy, accountability, and political mobilization emphasized that despite preeclampsia being one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal deaths worldwide, it has historically received insufficient political attention, weak prioritization, fragmented advocacy efforts, and inadequate financing at global, regional, and national levels. Thus, compared with other global maternal health priorities, preeclampsia has lacked a sustained and coordinated advocacy movement that effectively links scientific evidence, lived experiences, financing, accountability mechanisms, and political action. Yet evidence from other major global health initiatives clearly demonstrates that technical solutions alone are insufficient to drive transformational change without strong political commitment and public accountability.
As Advocates united in the belief that the advocacy, accountability, and political landscape for preeclampsia must change, we call for May 22, World Preeclampsia Day, to be formally recognized and endorsed by the United Nations within the global observance calendar.
Such recognition would elevate global visibility, strengthen political commitment, and remind governments, development partners, humanitarian actors, and health systems worldwide of their shared responsibility to urgently address the growing burden of preeclampsia, including within fragile and humanitarian settings where maternal mortality risks are often highest.
As the United Nations secretary-general has emphasized, “Safe motherhood is a right, not a privilege.” The time has come to move beyond commitments and translate words into concrete action.
With only a few years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, many low- and middle-income countries remain significantly off track in meeting SDG 3 targets related to maternal mortality reduction. Without urgent acceleration in investments, accountability, and political prioritization, preventable maternal and newborn deaths from preeclampsia will continue to rise.
We therefore call on:
● Governments to prioritize maternal health financing and equitable access to quality obstetric care.
● International organizations and development partners to strengthen coordinated global action on preeclampsia.
● Civil society and media to amplify survivor voices and sustain advocacy efforts.
● Researchers and innovators to expand investments in affordable diagnostics, treatment, and prevention strategies.
● Communities and families to support early antenatal care attendance and maternal health awareness.
No woman should die while giving life. Every newborn deserves a chance at life.
The time for urgency, accountability, and collective action is now!