QFFD Co-Hosts High-Level Panel on Protecting Women’s Health in Conflict-Affected Settings at Doha Health Initiative Convening 2026

Doha, Qatar – 29 October 2026: Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) participated in the 2026 Annual Convening of the Doha Health Initiative for the Global South, held from 26 to 28 October under the theme “Accelerating Progress in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health: Translating Evidence into National Policies and Practices”.

The convening brought together policymakers and experts to address challenges to essential healthcare services in conflict-affected settings, focusing on the policies, financing and partnerships needed to strengthen health systems and sustain care for the most vulnerable.

As part of the convening and under its Women in Conflict Zones (WICZ) Initiative, QFFD co-hosted the closing high-level public panel discussion, “Protecting Women’s Health in Conflict-Affected and Crisis Settings”, alongside the Middle East Council on Global Affairs and the Gates Foundation, in collaboration with Qatar University. The session examined approaches to protecting maternal, newborn and child health services in fragile settings, with a focus on country-led policies, predictable financing and coordinated partnerships.

In her opening remarks, Dana Al-Misnad, Director of Programmes and Projects at QFFD, highlighted the critical role of predictable financing in sustaining essential healthcare services, stating: “In fragile settings, the greatest threat to a mother’s life is not simply the absence of healthcare, but the lack of certainty around the funding needed to sustain it. No health system can keep midwives in place, maintain functioning cold chains, or ensure referral pathways remain open if it relies on funding that arrives one project at a time, only to stop without warning.”

Dr Khalid Al-Jaber, Executive Director of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, highlighted the importance of sustained policy and financing efforts, stating: “Amid global disruptions and the growing pressures they place on development efforts and resources, discussions on the policies and financing needed to sustain essential health services in conflict- and crisis-affected settings are increasingly important.”

The panel brought together Eng. Mohammad Jamal Alsaati, Special Adviser to the President of the Islamic Development Bank; Dr. Sanjana Bhardwaj, Deputy Director of Program Advocacy and Communications for Family Planning, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, and Primary Health Care at the Gates Foundation; Dr. Rayana Bou Haka, World Health Organization Representative in Qatar; and Ms. Isra Chaker, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Every Pregnancy. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Hanan Abdul Rahim, Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Qatar University.

The discussion underscored the need for sustained financing, stronger national health systems and coordinated action among governments, development partners, international organisations and philanthropic institutions to protect essential health services in conflict-affected settings.

QFFD continues to support efforts to strengthen health system resilience and improve access to essential care for women and vulnerable populations affected by conflict.

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