CHAMPS Site Directors Convene in Barcelona to Strengthen Global Collaboration on Child Mortality Prevention

The site directors of the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network met in Barcelona for a strategic meeting held on 30 and 31 October. The event was hosted at Palau Macaya by ISGlobal, a centre supported by "la Caixa" Foundation, marking the first CHAMPS network meeting to take place in the city. The representatives of the global network, spanning Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, and South Africa, gathered to align on strategy, share progress updates, and discuss future directions for the network.

“At the beginning of the second decade of CHAMPS activities, this meeting was a critical moment to reflect on our shortcomings and achievements, and on the future of CHAMPS sites and the network as a whole,” said Quique Bassat, director of ISGlobal and the CHAMPS Mozambique site, highlighting the importance of this in-person collaboration across countries and disciplines. “This monumental effort is now in full motion and has already changed the way we characterise and look at child mortality, paving the way to future policy change that would surely impact child survival”.

Eight Countries, One Mission: Better Data for Child Health

Since its inception, CHAMPS has worked to reduce preventable child deaths by using innovative, data-driven methods to identify the true causes of mortality and design evidence-based interventions. Its goal is to create a world where every child has an equal chance to survive and thrive, regardless of geography or circumstance.

Twenty-five participants attended the network meeting, representing the Programme Office, CHAMPS sites, the global partners board and the Gates Foundation. Over the two days, all attendees reviewed ongoing research and surveillance activities, explored new programme opportunities, and discussed ways to enhance the network’s capacity to generate high-quality data to inform public health action.

Defining Future Strategies for the Network

The first day focused on defining the current and future directions of the CHAMPS network, particularly in terms of the sustainability of the sites and the critical need to secure new partnerships and co-funding to extend the network's mission beyond the current funding commitment from the Gates Foundation. Further discussions explored improving mortality surveillance systems, and updating the overall scientific strategy.

The day concluded with a visit to the Reial Acadèmia de Medicina de Catalunya (Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia), where participants discovered the significant advances in medical education and surgical practice that took place in Barcelona from the 18th to the 19th centuries. Inside the remarkable anatomical amphitheatre, they gained an insight into how the training of surgeons has evolved over time.

CHAMPS site directors visit the Royal Academy of Medicine of Catalonia.

Key Outcomes and Future Directions

Talks on the second day were focused on the network’s sustainability and strategic priorities, including implementing strategies for continuously improving CHAMPS data quality.  Participants also explored opportunities to enhance local capacity and accelerate data translation into public health action, ensuring that CHAMPS evidence continues to inform national and global child health policies.

The meeting concluded with the development of a shared vision and concrete priorities for CHAMPS’ next decade, centred on deeper collaboration across sites, greater innovation in data use, and stronger translation of evidence into policies and actions that save children’s lives worldwide.

CHAMPS’ collaborative model continues to serve as a cornerstone for global child mortality surveillance. Its work bridges research and public health implementation, linking scientific evidence with policy impact. The Barcelona meeting not only strengthened internal coordination but also laid the groundwork for new collaborations and cross-country initiatives to advance the fight against child mortality.

The Palau Macaya hosted the first meeting of the CHAMPS network in Barcelona.