In 2026, over 27 million people in the WCA Region are in need of humanitarian assistance, with women and girls facing heightened risks like maternal mortality, gender-based violence (GBV), and limited access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.

In 2023, it was estimated that half of the total global maternal deaths between 2000 and 2020 occurred in WCA with 125,215 maternal deaths each year. 2 To tackle this, UNFPA is working in partnership with Ministries of Health to strengthen health systems and midwifery workforces, including training midwives to respond to humanitarian crises to improve preparedness and response capacity.