Contributing to Ending the Preventable Deaths of mothers, babies and children by 2030 (EPD)

Contributing to Ending the Preventable Deaths of mothers, babies and children by 2030 (EPD) is a UK government commitment and is a core health objective within the International Development Strategy. It is also central to FCDO's priority on women and girls and humanitarian efforts. The approach focuses on addressing the issues affecting the health and rights of women, babies and children.

The burden of deaths remains huge - newborn deaths make up the greatest number of deaths from any cause in low-income countries. Women and girls' rights are at threat and increasingly politicised. The solutions are harder than ever, requiring high quality, accessible and affordable health systems, women empowered to access care and an organised approach to development diplomacy and policy influencing. Most deaths now occur in fragile and conflict affected settings and amongst the most marginalised people.

The FCDO's Human Development Department leads on the delivery of EPD. The EPD campaign focuses on 11 flagship countries and aims to contribute to reducing mortality rates in these by between 5-10% by 2030.

This EPD Support Programme will provide technical assistance (TA) to target country and central FCDO teams to complement UK investments that contribute to EPD across three of the four pillars within the approach paper. These are 1) strong health systems; 2) human rights, gender and equality, including sexual and reproductive health and rights; and 3) healthier environments including WASH, climate and health, nutrition and air pollution.

This will be one of the essential programmes in a new EPD Centre of Expertise to provide a timely and flexible offer of support across a range of areas, adopting a cross-cutting approach and using a range of modalities. This programme focuses on specific policy, alignment or evidence gaps. It will provide a varied TA offer from quick, specific responses to longer term technical inputs and EPD partnerships. It will allow a