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Global Health Accountability

Joint PHIG–GMJ knowledge hub: Global Health Accountability — the thematic platform and a curated catalogue of international evidence, guidelines, data and training, each linked to its source.

Joint knowledge hub · Public Health Institute of Georgia & Georgian Medical Journal

This knowledge hub is produced jointly by the Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG) and its journal, the Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ). It brings together GMJ’s thematic platform and its curated catalogue of international evidence, guidelines, data, training and networks — with every entry linked to its original source.

Also on gmj.ge: thematic platform ↗ · knowledge hub ↗

Situation in Georgia and the region

Accountability means tracking whether commitments on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health are kept — and acting when they are not. Maternal mortality is one of the clearest tests.

260,000maternal deaths worldwide in 2023 — about one every two minutesSource: WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA/World Bank/UNDESA, 2025
197maternal deaths per 100,000 live births globally in 2023, nearly three times the SDG target of 70 by 2030Source: UNICEF, 2025
64%of global maternal deaths in 2023 occurred in 37 countries affected by conflict or fragilitySource: UNFPA, 2025
Maternal mortality ratio, Georgia (deaths per 100,000 live births)
201922
202030
202160
202222
202320
Source: UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group estimates, via knoema

Georgia’s maternal mortality ratio rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2022–2023 — a pattern also seen globally. Monitoring such shocks, and holding health systems accountable for the response, is the purpose of independent accountability mechanisms.

PHIG’s work on global health accountability

2016 – 2021
UN Secretary-General’s Independent Accountability PanelPHIG’s Chair served as a member of the Panel for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent.
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Panel hearing at the Parliament of GeorgiaMembers of the Independent Accountability Panel met at the Parliament of Georgia (photo on our Our story page).
2026
GMJ Global Health Accountability platformA dedicated issue and knowledge hub on accountability frameworks and monitoring of global health commitments.
  • Accountability and monitoring reviews for national health strategies
  • Policy dialogue on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health
  • Publication of accountability analyses in the Georgian Medical Journal

More: About PHIG · All knowledge hubs

The thematic platform

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  3. 2026: IAP Legacy Series: Advancing Global Health Accountability

Georgian Medical Journal  ·  IAP Legacy Series  ·  Continuous Thematic Series  ·  Open Access  ·  CC BY 4.0  ·  Published by the Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG)

The Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ) launches the IAP Legacy Series on Global Health Accountability — a sustained scholarly initiative to preserve, interrogate, and advance the conceptual and operational foundations of accountability in global health.

This Series builds on the work of the Independent Accountability Panel for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent, established in 2016 within the United Nations Secretary-General’s Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy (2016–2030). The Panel provided independent, evidence-informed assessments of progress and gaps in advancing the health and rights of women, children, and adolescents, while articulating accountability as a central function of health systems.

Its core message was unequivocal: accountability is not an adjunct to health systems performance, but one of its defining conditions. It requires credible data, institutional transparency, equity-oriented analysis, and enforceable responsibility across actors and levels of governance.

With the conclusion of the Panel’s mandate, the need to sustain and extend this body of work has become more pressing. At the same time, access to elements of its intellectual and operational legacy — including reports, analyses, and supporting materials — has become fragmented. The IAP Legacy Series responds to this moment by establishing a structured academic space for continuity, critical engagement, and forward-looking analysis.

A Continuous Series Embedded in the GMJ Publication Cycle

The IAP Legacy Series is not conceived as a standalone or time-limited special issue. Instead, it is embedded across the regular publication cycle of GMJ as a continuous thematic series.

Submissions addressing global health accountability are actively encouraged on an ongoing basis. Where a sufficient body of work emerges within a given publication cycle, GMJ will curate these contributions as a dedicated thematic section within that issue. Where this threshold is not reached, accepted manuscripts will be published within the general issue structure or carried forward to enable future thematic consolidation.

This model reflects a deliberate editorial choice: to sustain intellectual continuity without fragmenting the journal into multiple special issues, while ensuring both visibility and timeliness of contributions.

Core Elements of the Series

Curated Resource Infrastructure

The Series is supported by a structured resource hub providing organized access to publicly available materials related to the Independent Accountability Panel, including its reports, peer-reviewed publications, and associated outputs.

These materials are accessed through original sources. GMJ does not host or reproduce these documents and does not claim ownership. The purpose is to facilitate academic reference, teaching, and policy engagement.

Scholarly Contributions and Critical Dialogue

At its core, the Series functions as an open platform for rigorous academic work examining accountability across health systems.

Contributions may address, among others:

— governance and institutional accountability mechanisms
— monitoring and evaluation frameworks
— data integrity and transparency
— equity and rights-based approaches
— implementation challenges across diverse health system contexts

The Series aims to foster cumulative knowledge and critical debate on how accountability can be operationalized in practice, beyond declarative commitments.

Positioning and Scope

The IAP Legacy Series is an independent academic initiative hosted by the Georgian Medical Journal.

It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or formally connected to the United Nations, the Every Woman Every Child initiative, or the Independent Accountability Panel. All referenced materials remain the intellectual property of their respective authors and institutions.

Call for Contributions

GMJ invites researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to contribute to the IAP Legacy Series.

Submissions will undergo the standard peer-review process and will be published within the journal’s regular issues. Where appropriate, they will be grouped into thematic sections that reflect the evolving contours of global health accountability.

By embedding this Series within the ongoing life of the journal, GMJ seeks to move beyond episodic attention and toward sustained, cumulative engagement with one of the defining challenges of contemporary global health systems.

Submit a manuscript →  ·  Open Knowledge Hub →

Editorial Note: The IAP Legacy Series is an independent academic initiative hosted by GMJ and PHIG. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or formally connected to the United Nations, the Every Woman Every Child initiative, or the Independent Accountability Panel. All referenced materials remain the intellectual property of their respective authors and institutions. Open Access · CC BY 4.0 · DOI prefix: 10.66636.

Published: 04/17/2026

Curated resources

GMJ Knowledge Hub  |  IAP Legacy Series  |  Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG)

A comprehensive curated reference hub for the work of the Independent Accountability Panel for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent (IAP, 2016–2021), the accountability frameworks it operated within, and the ongoing legacy of global health accountability for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health. Compiled by the Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ) as part of the IAP Legacy Series on Global Health Accountability.

Scope: 10 sections  •  100+ resources  •  IAP • EWEC • PMNCH • iERG • CoIA • WHO • UNICEF • UNFPA • Academic  •  Updated: April 2026  •  GMJ Series: gmj.ge/index.php/pub/issue/view/iap

IAP

Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) — Origins, Mandate and Governance

The IAP was established in 2016 by the UN Secretary-General as the only fully independent accountability mechanism for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health under the 2030 Agenda. It succeeded the iERG and operated within a Monitor–Review–Act–Remedy framework, with secretariat support from PMNCH at WHO Geneva. The Panel submitted annual reports to the UN Secretary-General for presentation at the UN General Assembly.

pmnch.who.int

I.1 Mandate, Accountability Framework and Governance

Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health, 2016–2030

Source: United Nations Secretary-General / WHO  |  Type: Global Strategy  |  Year: 2015

The foundational strategy establishing the mandate and operating framework for the Independent Accountability Panel. Launched at the UN General Assembly in September 2015, this successor to the 2010 EWEC strategy extended the accountability framework through 2030, with the IAP as its independent oversight mechanism. Covers three strategic goals: Survive, Thrive, and Transform.

View Resource PMNCH Publications

IAP Accountability Framework: Monitor, Review, Act and Remedy

Source: Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) / WHO  |  Type: Accountability Framework  |  Year: 2016

The IAP extended and operationalised the Monitor–Review–Act framework articulated by the CoIA, adding Remedy as a fourth dimension. This framework recognises existing legal accountability mechanisms at national level (courts, national human rights institutions, parliamentarians, civil society) and international level (UN treaty-monitoring bodies, the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review). It represents the most comprehensive application of a human rights–based approach to global health accountability.

View Resource

PMNCH: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health — IAP Secretariat Host

Source: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Type: Institutional Hub  |  Year: Active

PMNCH, hosted at WHO Geneva, served as the administrative secretariat for the IAP throughout its mandate. With over 1,000 partner organisations, PMNCH continues as the primary platform for accountability for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health post-IAP, coordinating commitment tracking, the annual Accountability Breakfast, and policy advocacy.

View Resource Publications

I.2 PMNCH Accountability Events and Post-IAP Reviews

PMNCH Accountability Breakfast 2024 — Annual High-Level Accountability Event

Source: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Type: Annual Event  |  Year: 2024

The 2024 PMNCH Accountability Breakfast, held at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024. Convenes heads of government, UN agency leaders, civil society and health experts to assess implementation progress under the EWEC Global Strategy. Represents the primary continuation of IAP’s accountability mandate in public political space.

View Resource

PMNCH Accountability Breakfast 2023 — Event Recordings and Resources

Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Annual Event Archive  |  2023

View

PMNCH Accountability Breakfast 2022 — Event Recordings and Resources

Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Annual Event Archive  |  2022

View

PMNCH Accountability Breakfast Archive — All Years (2016–Active)

Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Event Archive  |  Active

View

Ready, Set, Implement! Delivering on Promises: The State of Accountability for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health

Source: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Type: Post-IAP Accountability Review  |  Year: 2025

High-level post-IAP accountability review from December 2025, convening former IAP Co-Chair Elizabeth Mason (LSHTM), human rights expert Paul Hunt, and global health scholars including Asha George and Sofia Gruskin. Assesses the state of accountability for WCAH nearly five years after the IAP mandate concluded, documenting persistent gaps and the urgency of reinvigorating independent accountability.

View Resource

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IAP Reports

IAP Annual Reports 2016–2021 — Complete Series with Academic Publications

The IAP produced four annual reports (2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 — no report was produced in 2019) plus a Final Reflections document (2021). Each was submitted to the UN Secretary-General and formally presented at the UN General Assembly. IAP Co-Chairs also published companion articles in The Lancet. Together these constitute the most rigorous independent record of progress under the EWEC Global Strategy.

pmnch.who.int/resources/publications

II.1 The Five IAP Publications

Old Challenges, New Hopes: Accountability for the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (IAP Inaugural Report, 2016)

Source: Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) / WHO / PMNCH  |  Type: IAP Annual Report  |  Year: 2016

The inaugural IAP report establishing the accountability framework and baseline assessment for the EWEC Global Strategy 2016–2030. Introduced the Monitor–Review–Act–Remedy accountability framework. Examined the state of women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health at the strategy’s launch, identifying structural challenges in financing, data quality, and political commitment, and called for immediate corrective actions from all stakeholders.

IAP Wikipedia GMJ Reference Summary

Transformative Accountability for Adolescents: Accountability for the Health and Human Rights of Women, Children and Adolescents in the 2030 Agenda (IAP 2nd Annual Report, 2017)

Source: Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) / WHO / PMNCH  |  Type: IAP Annual Report  |  Year: 2017

Second IAP annual report with the theme of adolescent accountability, produced as 1.2 billion adolescents were largely absent from national health policies. Introduced the concept of ‘adolescent-blind’ policies and made the case for transformative accountability that centres adolescents as rights-holders, not passive beneficiaries. Called for paradigm shifts to propel equitable progress under the Global Strategy and the SDGs.

GMJ Reference Summary Download Report PDF IAP 2017 Report Lancet Commentary

Private Sector: Who is Accountable? Accountability for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (IAP 3rd Annual Report, 2018)

Source: Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) / WHO / PMNCH  |  Type: IAP Annual Report  |  Year: 2018

Third IAP report examining the rapidly expanding role of the private sector in health service delivery and its implications for accountability. Found that existing accountability frameworks were inadequate to govern private sector actors, and called for stronger regulation, mandatory reporting, and binding accountability standards applicable to commercial health actors. Co-hosted at launch by the Governments of Finland and South Africa.

IAP Wikipedia GMJ Reference Summary

Caught in the COVID-19 Storm: Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health in the Context of UHC and the SDGs (IAP 4th Annual Report, 2020)

Source: Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) / WHO / PMNCH  |  Type: IAP Annual Report  |  Year: 2020

Fourth and final annual IAP report, produced during the COVID-19 pandemic with the theme ‘All Aboard.’ Documented the catastrophic impact of the pandemic on women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health services globally and called urgently for pandemic response to protect and accelerate rather than reverse Global Strategy progress. One of the most cited accountability documents of the pandemic period.

GMJ Video Summary GMJ Reflections WHO Publication

Final Reflections: Accountability for the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (IAP Legacy Document, 2021)

Source: Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) / WHO / PMNCH  |  Type: Legacy Document  |  Year: 2021

The IAP’s final publication, issued at the conclusion of the Panel’s mandate on 31 March 2021. Synthesises five years of independent accountability work, documenting achievements and persistent gaps. Provides recommendations for sustaining accountability momentum and protecting progress. The definitive legacy document of the IAP, essential for all accountability researchers and practitioners.

IAP Wikipedia GMJ Reference Summary

II.2 IAP Companion Articles in The Lancet

Where is the Accountability to Adolescents? — IAP Co-Chairs Lancet Commentary

Source: Barroso C, Gautam KC; IAP Members / The Lancet  |  Type: Lancet Commentary  |  Year: 2017

Companion Lancet commentary to the IAP 2017 annual report, authored by IAP Co-Chairs Carmen Barroso and Kul Chandra Gautam. Sets out the Panel’s central accountability arguments in the world’s leading medical journal. Represents the IAP’s engagement with the academic community alongside its formal UN reporting mandate.

View PubMed GMJ Reference Summary PDF

II.3 PMNCH Accountability Resources

PMNCH 2021 Accountability Resources: EWEC Commitments, Indicators and COVID-19 Analysis

PMNCH  |  Accountability Toolkit  |  2021

View

II.4 IAP Peer-Reviewed Academic Publications — Lancet, BMJ and WHO Bulletin

Independent Accountability for Women, Children, and Adolescents Under Threat

Source: Phumaphi J, Mason E, Barroso C, Gautam KC, Horton R; on behalf of IAP Members / The Lancet  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Commentary  |  Year: 2020

Lancet commentary by IAP leadership sounding the alarm that independent accountability mechanisms for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health are under threat globally from political rollbacks, financing cuts, and erosion of data quality standards. Written at the close of the IAP’s mandate, this represents the Panel’s final public advocacy statement in the world’s leading medical journal.

View PubMed GMJ Reference Summary

A Crisis of Accountability for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health

Source: Phumaphi J, Mason E, Alipui NK, Rios Cisnero J, Kidu C, Killen B, Pkhakadze G, Sen G, Yamin AE, Kuruvilla S / The Lancet  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Commentary  |  Year: 2020

Lancet commentary co-authored by the full IAP membership, documenting the compounding crises — COVID-19, financing shortfalls, and political accountability deficits — threatening progress for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health. One of the most-cited IAP academic outputs. Note: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze (GMJ/PHIG) is listed as a co-author of this publication.

View PMC GMJ Reference Summary PDF

Increased Production and Comprehensive Guidelines Needed for HPV Vaccine

Source: Phumaphi J, Gautam KC, Mason E; on behalf of IAP / The Lancet  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Commentary  |  Year: 2020

IAP Lancet commentary calling for expanded HPV vaccine production and clear global guidelines to ensure equitable adolescent access — a key accountability gap identified in the IAP 2017 report on transformative accountability for adolescents. Directly links vaccine accountability to the Transform goal of the Global Strategy.

View PubMed GMJ Reference Summary

Health Coverage Provisions for Women, Children and Adolescents

Source: Mason E, Sen G, Yamin AE; on behalf of IAP / Bulletin of the World Health Organization  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Commentary  |  Year: 2020

WHO Bulletin commentary examining how Universal Health Coverage frameworks inadequately address the specific health needs of women, children and adolescents. Argues that UHC commitments must be explicitly accountability-tracked to ensure they translate into equitable outcomes for the most marginalised populations.

View PMC GMJ Reference Summary PDF

Advancing Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health and Equity — Stronger Accountability is Key

Source: Alipui NK, Mason E; on behalf of IAP / BMJ Global Health  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Commentary  |  Year: 2020

BMJ Global Health commentary arguing that health equity for women, children and adolescents cannot be achieved without strengthened independent accountability mechanisms. Draws on IAP’s five-year evidence base to demonstrate systematic correlations between accountability quality and health outcome improvements.

View PMC GMJ Reference Summary PDF

Why Accountability Matters for Universal Health Coverage and Meeting the SDGs

Source: Yamin AE, Mason E; on behalf of IAP / The Lancet  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Commentary  |  Year: 2019

Lancet commentary making the affirmative case for independent accountability as a precondition for achieving Universal Health Coverage and SDG 3. Published in 2019 as the IAP prepared its fourth report, this provides the Panel’s most direct engagement with the UHC and SDG governance architecture.

View PubMed GMJ Reference Summary

New Hopes for Accountability for Women, Children and Adolescents’ Health

Source: Barroso C; on behalf of IAP / The Lancet  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Commentary  |  Year: 2016

Lancet commentary by IAP Co-Chair Carmen Barroso published at the launch of the inaugural 2016 IAP report. Sets out the Panel’s founding vision and accountability mandate, and calls on the global health community to embrace independent accountability as essential to achieving the EWEC Global Strategy’s Survive, Thrive and Transform goals. The first academic publication to emerge from the IAP.

View PubMed GMJ Reference Summary

Accountability for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health in the Sustainable Development Goal Era

Source: Barroso C, Lichuma W, Mason E, Lehohla P, Paul VK, Pkhakadze G, Wickremarathne D, Yamin AE; IAP / BMC Public Health  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Article  |  Year: 2016

Full peer-reviewed article by the complete IAP panel membership, published in BMC Public Health, establishing the conceptual and empirical foundations for IAP accountability work in the SDG era. Covers the Monitor–Review–Act–Remedy framework in depth. Note: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze (GMJ/PHIG) is listed as a co-author of this publication.

View BMC Article GMJ Reference Summary PDF

Realizing Universal Health Coverage in East Africa: The Relevance of Human Rights

Source: Yamin AE, Maleche A / BMC International Health and Human Rights  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Article  |  Year: 2017

Peer-reviewed article by IAP member Alicia Ely Yamin examining the human rights dimensions of Universal Health Coverage in East Africa, with direct relevance to the IAP accountability framework’s human rights–based approach. Contextualises IAP recommendations within regional health systems and legal accountability mechanisms.

View BMC Article GMJ Reference Summary

II.5 Cited Peer-Reviewed Articles — Evidence Base for IAP Reports

Integrated Health Reporting Within the UN Architecture: Learning from Maternal, Newborn and Child Health

Source: Akselrod S, Collins T, Berlina D, Collins A, Allen L / Global Health Research and Policy  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Article  |  Year: 2024

Evidence synthesis examining how integrated UN health reporting mechanisms — the model pioneered by the IAP — can improve accountability architecture. Directly relevant to post-IAP accountability design and the lessons learned from the EWEC Global Strategy monitoring experience.

View Resource

Early Estimates of the Indirect Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Maternal and Child Mortality in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Source: Roberton T, Carter ED, Chou VB et al. / The Lancet Global Health  |  Type: Systematic Review and Modelling Study  |  Year: 2020

Landmark modelling study estimating the indirect mortality effects of COVID-19 on maternal and child health in LMICs — the primary evidentiary basis for the IAP 2020 report’s documentation of pandemic-related health system disruption and its accountability implications.

View Resource

The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030): A Roadmap Based on Evidence and Country Experience

Source: Kuruvilla S, Bustreo F, Kuo T et al. / Bulletin of the World Health Organization  |  Type: Peer-Reviewed Article  |  Year: 2016

Authoritative description of the evidence base and country experience underpinning the EWEC Global Strategy 2016–2030 — the foundational strategy for the IAP’s mandate. Essential for understanding the strategy’s design rationale and the accountability indicators chosen by the IAP.

View Resource

A Review and Analysis of Accountability in Global Health Funding, Research Collaborations and Training: Towards Conceptual Clarity and Better Practice

Source: Liwanag HJ, James O, Frahsa A / BMJ Global Health  |  Type: Systematic Review  |  Year: 2023

Systematic review examining how accountability is conceptualised and operationalised across global health funding, research, and training contexts. Provides the conceptual framework for evaluating IAP’s accountability approach against the broader literature, and identifies persistent definitional ambiguities that challenge accountability measurement.

View Resource

II.6 Op-Eds and Policy Opinion Pieces

The COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be a Test of Accountability and Equity

Source: Phumaphi J, Killen B, Pkhakadze G, Mason E / BMJ Opinion  |  Type: Op-Ed / Policy Opinion  |  Year: 2020

BMJ Opinion piece by IAP leadership arguing that equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution would be the defining accountability test of the global health system and the EWEC Global Strategy commitments. Published December 2020 as vaccines were first authorised. Note: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze (GMJ/PHIG) is listed as a co-author of this publication.

View BMJ Opinion GMJ Reference Summary

Opinion: Why the SDGs’ Defining Decade Must Focus on Accountability for Those Left Behind

Source: Phumaphi J, Mason E, Yamin AE / Devex  |  Type: Op-Ed / Policy Opinion  |  Year: 2020

Devex opinion piece by IAP Co-Chair and senior members, arguing that the 2020s decade of SDG action must centre independent accountability for the most marginalised populations. Published at the UN General Assembly in September 2020 as global attention shifted to COVID-19 recovery.

View Devex GMJ Reference Summary PDF

II.7 IAP External Evaluation and Report Access

External Evaluation of the IAP for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent — Final Report

Source: Charpentier L, Beattie A (External Evaluators); managed by UNFPA  |  Type: External Evaluation  |  Year: 2019

Independent external evaluation of the IAP commissioned by UNFPA and managed independently of the Panel. Assessed the IAP’s relevance, effectiveness, and impact against its mandate. Provides the only independent third-party assessment of the Panel’s governance, methodology, and influence — essential for understanding both the strengths and limitations of the IAP model.

View Resource

IAP 2020 Annual Report Launch — UN High-Level Political Forum Side Event (Video)

Source: United Nations / IAP / PMNCH  |  Type: Video Recording  |  Year: 2020

Video recording of the IAP 2020 annual report (‘Caught in the COVID-19 Storm’) launch side event at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Includes presentations by IAP Co-Chair Joy Phumaphi and senior UN officials, and documents the context in which the final annual IAP report was received by the international community.

View Resource

IAP Wikipedia Entry: Background, Mandate and Complete Publication List

Wikipedia (English)  |  Reference  |  Active

View

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Video Archive

Video Archive and Multimedia — IAP Report Launches and PMNCH Events

Recordings of IAP report launches at the UN General Assembly, PMNCH Accountability Breakfast events, and related multimedia. The GMJ IAP Legacy Series maintains the most organised publicly accessible video archive for IAP-related content. Note: the original IAP website (iapewec.org) domain expired in 2023 and no longer serves IAP content.

gmj.ge/index.php/pub/issue/view/iap

III.1 GMJ IAP Video Collection

GMJ IAP Legacy Series: Curated Video Collection

Source: Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ) / PHIG  |  Type: Curated Video Archive  |  Year: Active

The GMJ IAP Legacy Series maintains a comprehensive curated collection of video recordings related to the Independent Accountability Panel, including report launches, PMNCH Accountability Breakfast recordings, panel member interviews, and UN media coverage. This collection represents the most organised publicly accessible video archive for IAP-related content currently available.

View Resource

III.2 UN Web TV and External Video Resources

Launch of the IAP 2017 Annual Report — UN Web TV Recording

Source: United Nations Web Television (UN Web TV)  |  Type: Event Recording  |  Year: 2017

Official UN Web TV recording of the launch of the IAP 2017 Annual Report (Transformative Accountability for Adolescents) at the United Nations General Assembly. IAP Co-Chairs Carmen Barroso and Kul Chandra Gautam present the report’s key findings to a high-level audience of Member States, UN agencies, donors, health professionals, civil society, and young people.

View Resource

PMNCH YouTube Channel — Accountability Breakfast and EWEC Event Recordings

PMNCH  |  Video Platform  |  Active

View

III.3 Additional Video and Media Resources

Commitment and Accountability with Joy Phumaphi — EWEC COVID-19 Expert Series

Source: Every Woman Every Child / EWEC COVID-19 Expert Series  |  Type: Video  |  Year: 2020

Video interview with IAP Co-Chair Joy Phumaphi as part of the EWEC COVID-19 Expert Series, addressing accountability challenges during the pandemic and their implications for the EWEC Global Strategy. Provides direct insight into IAP leadership thinking during the final phase of the Panel’s mandate.

View Resource

SDGs and the Importance of Formal Independent Review: An Opportunity for Health to Lead the Way

Source: Yamin AE / Health and Human Rights Journal (Harvard)  |  Type: Web Article / Academic Commentary  |  Year: 2015

Pre-IAP academic commentary by Alicia Ely Yamin (IAP member) in the Harvard Health and Human Rights Journal, setting out the theoretical case for formal independent review in global health accountability. Provides the intellectual antecedents to the IAP’s Monitor–Review–Act–Remedy framework.

View Resource

UN Web TV: Every Woman Every Child and UNGA Side Events Archive

United Nations  |  Archival Video  |  2015–2021

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WHO Multimedia: Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health Resources

World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Multimedia Hub  |  Active

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EWEC

Every Woman Every Child — The Overarching Framework

Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) is the UN Secretary-General initiative within which the IAP operated. Coordinating global commitments and actions for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, it provides the political mandate, monitoring indicators, and reporting framework that the IAP was charged to independently assess.

www.everywomaneverychild.org

Every Woman Every Child — Official Platform and Commitment Framework

Source: United Nations Secretary-General / WHO  |  Type: Initiative Hub  |  Year: Active

The primary platform for the EWEC initiative, coordinating multi-stakeholder commitments across governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector. Provides access to commitment tracking, progress reports, publications, videos, and the Indicator and Monitoring Framework for the Global Strategy 2016–2030.

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Indicator and Monitoring Framework for the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030)

Source: WHO / PMNCH / Every Woman Every Child  |  Type: Monitoring Framework  |  Year: 2016

The 60-indicator framework (16 key indicators) used by the IAP and partner organisations to monitor Global Strategy progress. Provides standardised country-level data organised under the Survive, Thrive, and Transform goals, and forms the quantitative basis for all IAP annual assessments.

View Resource

EWEC 2010 Inaugural Strategy: Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health

Source: United Nations Secretary-General / WHO  |  Type: Original Strategy  |  Year: 2010

The original Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health (2010–2015), launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Provides the historical baseline and institutional context for the 2016–2030 strategy and the IAP mandate. Essential for understanding the accountability trajectory from iERG to IAP.

View Resource

PMNCH Commitments to the EWEC Global Strategy — Analysis and Progress (2015–2019)

Source: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Type: Commitment Analysis  |  Year: 2019

PMNCH’s comprehensive analysis of non-State commitment-maker progress under the Global Strategy (2016–2030), covering commitments to December 2019. Provides the most detailed independent assessment of non-State actor implementation, complementing the IAP 2020 annual report’s accountability findings.

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CoIA / iERG

Predecessor Bodies: Commission on Information and Accountability (CoIA) and Independent Expert Review Group (iERG)

The IAP was established to succeed two predecessor accountability bodies. The CoIA (2010–2011) produced the foundational 10 recommendations that shaped the accountability agenda. The iERG (2011–2015) implemented those recommendations and produced four annual reports under the first EWEC strategy. Understanding this lineage is essential for contextualising the IAP.

www.who.int

V.1 Commission on Information and Accountability (CoIA), 2011

Keeping Promises, Measuring Results: Report of the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health

Source: Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health (CoIA) / WHO  |  Type: Commission Report  |  Year: 2011

The foundational accountability report that established the 10 recommendations shaping all subsequent global health accountability for women’s and children’s health. Introduced the principles of independent oversight, data transparency, and mutual accountability that the iERG and IAP operationalised. Essential intellectual foundation for the entire accountability architecture.

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V.2 Independent Expert Review Group (iERG), 2012–2015

iERG First Annual Report (2012): A Universal Truth: No Health Without a Workforce

Source: Independent Expert Review Group (iERG) / WHO  |  Type: iERG Annual Report  |  Year: 2012

First iERG report assessing progress on the 10 CoIA recommendations. Identified health workforce capacity as the primary bottleneck to progress under the first EWEC strategy. Established the evidence-based accountability methodology that the IAP would inherit, develop and apply under the 2016–2030 strategy.

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iERG Second Annual Report (2013): Every Woman, Every Child: A Post-2015 Vision

Source: Independent Expert Review Group (iERG) / WHO  |  Type: iERG Annual Report  |  Year: 2013

Second iERG report, produced during the formative discussions on the post-2015 development agenda. Connected accountability for women’s and children’s health to the emerging SDG framework and made the case for an ambitious post-2015 accountability mechanism — laying the intellectual groundwork for the EWEC Global Strategy 2016–2030 and the IAP.

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iERG Third Annual Report (2014): Reaching Every Woman, Every Child: from Commitments to Action

Source: Independent Expert Review Group (iERG) / WHO  |  Type: iERG Annual Report  |  Year: 2014

Third iERG report tracking implementation of the CoIA’s 10 recommendations. Examined gaps between commitments and actions in financing, data, and accountability mechanisms, and directly recommended the establishment of the IAP as the accountability body for the successor Global Strategy period 2016–2030.

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iERG Fourth Annual Report (2015): Fulfilling the Health Agenda for Women and Children: The 2014 Report

Source: Independent Expert Review Group (iERG) / WHO  |  Type: iERG Annual Report  |  Year: 2015

The final iERG report and handover document to the IAP. Comprehensively assessed progress under the 2010 EWEC strategy, documented remaining accountability deficits, and provided detailed recommendations for the governance structure and methodology of the incoming IAP for the 2016–2030 strategy period.

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V.3 UN General Assembly Documents and Institutional Governance

Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2030) — Full Document PDF

Source: WHO / Every Woman Every Child  |  Type: Policy Document / Strategy  |  Year: 2015

The complete text of the EWEC Global Strategy 2016–2030, the foundational document for the IAP mandate. Includes the three strategic goals (Survive, Thrive, Transform), the unified accountability framework, and the commitment architecture. The definitive primary source for all IAP accountability assessments.

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Report of the UN Secretary-General on the Health of Women and Children: A/71/304

Source: United Nations General Assembly  |  Type: UN Document  |  Year: 2016

Official UN General Assembly document (A/71/304) in which the Secretary-General reported on the health of women and children, incorporating the IAP’s inaugural 2016 findings. This document represents the formal UN system uptake of IAP accountability findings at the highest institutional level.

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Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage: A/RES/74/2

Source: United Nations General Assembly  |  Type: UN Resolution  |  Year: 2019

Landmark UN General Assembly resolution on Universal Health Coverage, directly relevant to the IAP’s accountability work on UHC provisions for women, children and adolescents. The IAP 2017 and 2018 reports specifically addressed accountability gaps between UHC commitments in this declaration and real-world implementation.

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Process of Appointing Members of the Independent Accountability Panel — PMNCH Governance Document

Source: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Type: Governance Document  |  Year: 2016

Official PMNCH governance document describing the process by which IAP members were nominated, vetted, and appointed by the UN Secretary-General. Documents the selection criteria emphasising geographic diversity, disciplinary breadth, and independence. Essential for understanding the IAP’s governance design and legitimacy.

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Announcement of the Every Woman Every Child Independent Accountability Panel

Source: Every Woman Every Child / Women Deliver  |  Type: Institutional Announcement  |  Year: 2016

Official announcement of the establishment of the Independent Accountability Panel, published through Women Deliver as part of the EWEC communication strategy at launch. Documents the original mandate language, panellist appointments, and the institutional expectation that the IAP would provide genuine independent oversight.

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Mechanisms and Data

VI. Core Accountability Mechanisms, Data Platforms and Monitoring Frameworks

The technical infrastructure of global health accountability: data platforms, monitoring frameworks, and technical partnerships that provided the evidence base for IAP assessments and continue to support post-IAP accountability work.

www.countdown2030.org

Countdown to 2030: Tracking Coverage of Interventions for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health

Source: Countdown to 2030 Collaboration  |  Type: Data and Monitoring Platform  |  Year: Active

The primary independent epidemiological monitoring platform tracking intervention coverage for RMNCAH in 81 priority countries. Extensively cited across all IAP annual reports as the core quantitative evidence base for global accountability. Produces country profiles, equity analyses, and global trend data at each WHO World Health Assembly.

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WHO Global Health Observatory: Child Mortality, Maternal Mortality and Health Data

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Live Data Platform  |  Year: Active

WHO’s primary global statistical platform providing official country-level estimates for the core IAP indicators: under-five mortality, neonatal mortality, maternal mortality, and cause-of-death distributions. Provides the official UN inter-agency estimates that underpin all IAP quantitative assessments and Countdown analyses.

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IGME: Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation — Data Portal

Source: UNICEF / WHO / World Bank / UN DESA (IGME)  |  Type: Live Data Portal  |  Year: Active

The official UN inter-agency data portal for child and neonatal mortality estimates. IGME data provides the definitive annual child mortality figures used by the IAP and all subsequent accountability assessments. Enables country-level trend analysis across the full Global Strategy period.

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IHME Global Burden of Disease — Country Health Profiles

Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington  |  Type: Data Platform  |  Year: Active

IHME’s comprehensive country-level health metrics platform. Used in IAP reports for independent validation of official statistics and for disaggregated analysis of disease burden by sex, age and cause. Provides the most comprehensive independent dataset for benchmarking national performance against global averages.

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The Global Fund: Results and Impact Data Platform

Source: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria  |  Type: Results Data Platform  |  Year: Active

Results reporting platform covering HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria programmes — three conditions with major intersections with maternal, child, and adolescent health. Cited in IAP reports as a model for transparent, data-driven accountability. Enables tracking of health financing outcomes complementary to the IAP’s governance accountability.

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High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth — Final Report

Source: WHO / ILO / OECD (Co-Chaired by President Ramaphosa and President Hollande)  |  Type: Commission Report  |  Year: 2016

Final report of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Commission on Health Employment, calling for the creation of 40 million health jobs globally by 2030. Directly linked to the IAP’s persistent accountability finding that health workforce shortages are the primary structural barrier to delivering on Global Strategy commitments.

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Maternal Health

VII. Women’s and Maternal Health

Core resources on maternal health and reproductive rights — the primary thematic domain of IAP accountability under the Survive and Transform goals. Resources cover global burden data, clinical guidelines, policy frameworks, and academic evidence essential for interpreting and building on IAP findings.

www.who.int/health-topics/maternal-health

Trends in Maternal Mortality 2000 to 2020: Estimates by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UNDESA

Source: WHO / UNICEF / UNFPA / World Bank Group / UNDESA  |  Type: Joint Statistical Report  |  Year: 2023

Joint UN inter-agency report providing official estimates of maternal mortality ratios, absolute numbers, and trends for all countries. The authoritative global data source for maternal mortality, providing the quantitative benchmark against which the IAP assessed progress on the Survive goal. The 2020 estimates represent the culmination of the IAP monitoring period.

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WHO Recommendations on Antenatal Care for a Positive Pregnancy Experience

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Clinical Guideline  |  Year: 2016

WHO’s landmark guideline introducing eight antenatal care contacts, replacing the previous four-visit model. Directly cited in IAP reports as a key standard for assessing service delivery coverage under the Survive goal. Provides 49 evidence-based recommendations spanning nutrition, infection prevention, mental health, and health system organisation.

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Standards for Improving Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care in Health Facilities

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Quality Standards  |  Year: 2016

WHO quality-of-care standards for maternal and newborn services, covering eight evidence-based standards across care provision and care experience dimensions. IAP reports consistently identified quality of care gaps as a critical accountability domain beyond coverage metrics, making these standards an essential reference for accountability practitioners.

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UNFPA State of World Population 2025

Source: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)  |  Type: Annual Flagship Report  |  Year: 2025

UNFPA’s annual flagship report on reproductive health, rights, and population. Provides the most comprehensive annual assessment of sexual and reproductive health globally — family planning, maternal health, gender-based violence, and adolescent reproductive health — all core dimensions of IAP accountability under the Transform goal.

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WHO: Maternal Health Programme Hub — Guidelines, Data and Resources

World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Programme Hub  |  Active

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FIGO: International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics — Maternal Health

International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO)  |  Professional Standards  |  Active

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Child and Newborn Health

VIII. Child and Newborn Health

Key resources on child and newborn health accountability — the central quantitative domain of IAP annual reports. The IAP monitored under-five and neonatal mortality as primary Survive indicators, and consistently identified equity gaps and health system weaknesses as the drivers of persistent preventable deaths.

www.who.int/health-topics/child-health

Levels and Trends in Child Mortality — UN IGME Annual Report

Source: WHO / UNICEF / World Bank / UN DESA (IGME)  |  Type: Annual Statistical Report  |  Year: Annual

The Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation flagship annual report providing official under-five, infant, and neonatal mortality estimates and trends for all countries. The primary quantitative source for child mortality cited in every IAP annual report. Essential for tracking progress under the Survive goal of the Global Strategy.

View Resource WHO GHO Data

Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) — Road Map to End Preventable Deaths

Source: WHO / UNICEF / Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health  |  Type: Action Plan and Progress Reports  |  Year: 2014–Active

The global strategic road map for ending preventable newborn deaths and stillbirths by 2030. Directly linked to the EWEC Global Strategy’s Survive goal. IAP reports consistently identified newborn survival as an area of critical shortfall and insufficient accountability, with the ‘first day, first week’ evidence gap as a persistent challenge.

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Immunisation Agenda 2030 (IA2030): A Global Strategy to Leave No One Behind

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) / UNICEF  |  Type: Strategic Framework  |  Year: 2021

The global immunisation strategy through 2030. Directly relevant to IAP accountability assessments on child health coverage; immunisation was used as a key tracer indicator for health system performance across all IAP annual reports. Provides targets, indicators, and national-level accountability frameworks.

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UNICEF: State of the World’s Children — Annual Flagship Report

UNICEF  |  Annual Flagship Report  |  Annual

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WHO Integrated Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD)

World Health Organization (WHO) / UNICEF  |  Action Plan  |  2013

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Adolescent Health

IX. Adolescent Health

Resources on adolescent health — the Transform dimension of the EWEC Global Strategy and a central innovation of the 2016–2030 period. Adolescent health was a new explicit focus area, and the 2017 IAP report dedicated its full analytical attention to accountability for adolescents, finding systematic policy blindness across most countries.

www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health

Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance to Support Country Implementation

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Technical Guidance  |  Year: 2017

WHO’s primary operational guidance supporting national implementation of adolescent health programmes, covering 20 health issues across eight categories. Directly linked to the EWEC Global Strategy 2016–2030 and cited in the IAP 2017 report as the principal technical reference for adolescent accountability. Provides the most comprehensive framework for country-level adolescent health programming.

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Our Future: A Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing

Source: Patton GC, Sawyer SM, Santelli JS et al. / The Lancet  |  Type: Commission Report  |  Year: 2016

The landmark 2016 Lancet Commission on adolescent health published contemporaneously with the EWEC Global Strategy. Establishes the evidence base for investment in adolescent health as a developmental and economic imperative, and directly shaped the adolescent health dimensions of IAP accountability assessments across the 2016–2021 cycle.

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WHO: Adolescent Mental Health — Key Facts, Evidence and System Guidance

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Type: Fact Sheet and Resource Hub  |  Year: Current

WHO’s evidence summary on adolescent mental health, covering global prevalence data, risk and protective factors, and health system responses. Mental health was consistently identified in IAP reports as an under-resourced and undermonitored dimension of the Transform goal, with large data gaps in low and middle income countries.

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UNFPA: Young People and Adolescents — Sexual and Reproductive Health

Source: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)  |  Type: Programme Hub  |  Year: Active

UNFPA’s resources on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health, covering evidence, policy frameworks, and programme guidance. Provides the SRHR evidence base complementing the WHO AA-HA! technical guidance, essential for accountability assessments on the adolescent dimensions of the Transform goal.

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WHO: Making Health Services Adolescent-Friendly — Quality Standards

World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Quality Standards  |  2012

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Lancet Child and Adolescent Health — Journal Platform

The Lancet  |  Journal  |  Active

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Legacy and Future

X. Post-IAP Landscape, Accountability Architecture and GMJ Legacy Series

Resources addressing the accountability landscape after the IAP mandate concluded in March 2021, the institutions maintaining accountability momentum, and the GMJ’s own academic contributions to IAP legacy documentation.

gmj.ge/index.php/pub/issue/view/iap

Georgia — Publisher of This Knowledge Hub and IAP Legacy Series

Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ) — IAP Legacy Series on Global Health Accountability

GMJ’s IAP Legacy Series (Vol. 1, No. 2, 2026) preserves and advances the intellectual contributions of the Independent Accountability Panel. It hosts this Knowledge Hub, a curated video archive, and a platform for peer-reviewed commentary and analysis on global health accountability. Open access under CC BY 4.0. DOI prefix 10.66636.

Visit IAP Legacy Series Visit GMJ

X.1 Post-IAP Accountability Continuity

PMNCH: Post-IAP Accountability Framework and Commitment Tracking (2021–Active)

Source: Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)  |  Type: Accountability Platform  |  Year: Active

Following the IAP mandate’s conclusion in March 2021, PMNCH assumed primary responsibility for global accountability tracking under the EWEC Global Strategy 2016–2030. Annual Accountability Breakfast events at the UN General Assembly continue the IAP’s accountability cycle, with commitment tracking, results reporting, and civil society engagement.

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Countdown to 2030: Accountability Evidence Platform Post-IAP

Source: Countdown to 2030 Collaboration  |  Type: Evidence Platform  |  Year: Active

Countdown to 2030 continues as the primary independent epidemiological monitoring infrastructure beyond the IAP mandate, producing coverage data, equity analyses, and policy recommendations for 81 priority countries. Essential reference for tracking Global Strategy progress through 2030.

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X.2 Financing Accountability for RMNCAH

Gavi: The Vaccine Alliance — Programme Evaluations and Results

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance  |  Accountability Reports  |  Active

View

The Global Fund: Results, Grant Portfolio and Accountability Data

The Global Fund  |  Results Data  |  Active

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WHO Health Financing for Universal Health Coverage — Accountability Framework

World Health Organization (WHO)  |  Framework  |  Active

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X.3 Academic References on Global Health Accountability

GMJ IAP Legacy Series: Academic Contributions and Peer-Reviewed Publications

Source: Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ)  |  Type: Academic Journal Platform  |  Year: 2026

The GMJ IAP Legacy Series hosts peer-reviewed commentary, analysis and reflections on global health accountability themes addressed by the Independent Accountability Panel. Open access under CC BY 4.0. Welcomes submissions from researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners engaging with accountability for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health.

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Lancet: Global Health Accountability — Thematic Collections and Editorials

The Lancet  |  Journal  |  Active

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Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ)  —  IAP Legacy Series on Global Health Accountability  —  gmj.ge/index.php/pub/issue/view/iapDOI prefix: 10.66636  •  Open Access  •  CC BY 4.0  •  Updated April 2026
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