The final day of IMNHC 2026 closed not with a sense of ending, but with momentum. There was a palpable energy across the venue—conversations lingering in hallways, last exchanges of contacts, and a shared determination to carry lessons home and turn them into action. What began as a week of dialogue and reflection concluded with a renewed commitment: to ensure that the ideas, partnerships, and urgency sparked here translate into real change for mothers and newborns everywhere.

A major highlight of the day was the Innovation Marketplace, where a central question guided the experience: What propels a global health innovation from concept to change? Featuring 47 innovators from across the maternal and newborn health space, the Marketplace buzzed with activity as delegates moved from booth to booth, engaging directly with solutions that are already reshaping care delivery. From clinical tools to digital health platforms, including those leveraging artificial intelligence, the diversity of approaches underscored both the complexity of the challenges and the creativity of those tackling them.

The session, developed in collaboration with Busara and Grand Challenges Canada, stood out not just for its content but for its design. Reflection stations placed throughout the space invited participants to step into the innovator’s journey—grappling with questions about evidence, scale, and sustainability. Delegates paused to consider what kinds of data truly drive adoption, how innovators navigate uncertainty with limited resources, and what support systems are needed to transform a problem into a viable, scalable solution. These moments of reflection complemented the vibrant exchanges happening at each booth, creating an atmosphere that was both dynamic and deeply thoughtful.

Yet, as energizing as the Innovation Marketplace was, the closing plenary grounded the conference in a sobering reality. Progress has been made, but not nearly enough. The session revisited themes from earlier in the week and connected them to the broader trajectory from 2023 toward 2030 and beyond.

In a powerful keynote on behalf of parliamentarians from 11 countries, Hon. Lilani Brinkman, MP of Namibia, delivered a message that resonated across the room: “We recognize the progress made, but let us be honest with ourselves. Preventable maternal and newborn deaths remain far too high. And that is not just a health failure, it is a leadership failure. So today, we do not leave here with good intentions; we leave here with responsibility.”

She continued with an equally urgent call to action: “I want to say this clearly: we cannot continue to gather in conferences, speak passionately like I do, and then return home unchanged. This must be different. This must be the turning point.” It was a challenge to every delegate in the room to ensure that IMNHC 2026 becomes more than a moment—that it becomes a catalyst.

There was broad recognition that progress depends not only on global dialogue, but on whether those conversations translate into concrete action at national and local levels. The energy in the room was matched by a growing sense of responsibility—an understanding that the real work begins now.

In his final remarks, Dr. Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary in Kenya’s Ministry of Health, brought the conference to an emotional and resolute close. Reflecting on both the urgency of the challenge and the moral imperative to act, he stated: “I’ve seen the energy, I’ve seen the enthusiasm, but I’ve also seen the realization of how much we have wronged the mothers that we lost when we didn’t have to. And the best gift we can do for them is to ensure no one else loses their lives in the circumstances that they did. So, let’s go and do the work.”