From Vision to Action: Reflections on “Baby Matters,” Pakistan’s First Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Conference
Introduction
The ZERO TO THREE Fellowship Class of 2022–2024 had many dreams, but they shared a collective vision: raising the villages that raise the child. As professionals from diverse fields, we saw the urgent need to elevate the voices of our youngest citizens within policy, education, and health systems in villages across the world.
Our vision was clear: create a dynamic platform where global and local expertise would meet. We wanted international specialists to gain insights from Pakistan’s culturally rooted wisdom, and we wanted our local community—parents, educators, policymakers, and health professionals—to benefit from cutting-edge global practices.
The Baby Matters Conference was born as a result of this vision.
author
Dr. Roop Zainab Rana
- Psychiatrist/Chief Executive Officer, The Healing Triad
- Organizer, Baby Matters Conference 2025
- ZERO TO THREE Fellow (2022–2024)
Why This Moment Matters
The Baby Matters Conference was a historic milestone. It marked Pakistan’s and indeed South Asia’s first ever national and international gathering dedicated entirely to infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH).
It was the beginning of a collective commitment by both the people and the policy makers to shift the narrative around babies and their emotional development. As someone who works at the intersection of mental health, policy, and early childhood advocacy, I have seen babies’ mental health overlooked in public discourse. Mental health is often treated as an adult issue, even though it begins before birth.
The Baby Matters conference set out to change that through science, dialogue, policy innovation, and above all, collaboration.
Tangible Outcomes, Bold Directions
The outcomes of the Baby Matters Conference were unprecedented in scale and ambition.
Together, across sectors and continents, we initiated:
- The formation of the first WAIMH affiliate in South Asia, giving Pakistan a seat at the global IECMH table.
- A draft Infant Mental Health Policy for the Government of Pakistan.
- The launch of 10 research projects on infant development and mental health.
- A mental health research repository to centralize findings for parents, practitioners and decision-makers.
- Inclusion of infant mental health in national disaster response plans.
- An announcement by the Health Services Academy (An institution under the Ministry of Health of the Government of Pakistan) to provide free degree programs in IECMH-related fields.
- The beginning of training programs in major IECMH therapies: ABC, CPP, Talk, touch and Listen and Play Therapy
- A pledge from the Health Services Academy to co-host this conference biannually
- Ten training workshops in five major cities to reach parents, educators, and professionals alike.
We built the foundation for the Baby Matters Campaign.
Lessons From Attendees
We created spaces across countries where practitioners, educators, and researchers could learn, share, and dream together.
“It was lovely to learn about all you and your colleagues have created for young children in Pakistan.”
Dr. Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Associate Director of the Child Trauma Research Program at the University of California, San Francisco and Director of Dissemination and Implementation for Child-Parent Psychotherapy, California, USA
“This landmark event promises a lasting impact—transforming how we nurture emotional well-being in our youngest children and how we support mothers across Pakistan and other developing nations.”
Dr. Muhammad Zeshan, Board-Certified Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, ZERO TO THREE Fellow 2020-2022, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Rutgers University, New Jersey
“I was so impressed and pleased to be a part of the conference—what an amazing group. I found the policy discussion especially illuminating. I will follow the progress of this movement with interest.”
Professor Charles H Zeanah (Fellow 1981-1983)
“It has been such a special opportunity. I am so impressed with this initiative and the outcomes focus of the conference. It is wonderful that there are such amazing plans in place – for a baby mat service, for a Pakistan association for infant mental health, for another conference, and so much more. Our countries are well placed to support each other. I’m very excited and honored to have been to the Baby Mat Service.”
Dr. Nicki Dawson, Research, Development and Trainings Lead, Ububele, South Africa
Our Future Plans—and an Open Invitation
This conference marked a beginning, not a finish line.
In the years ahead, our team with support from the Health Services Academy and with continued support from ZERO TO THREE and partners plans to:
- Develop national training frameworks to build the IECMH workforce across provinces.
- Secure government endorsement of policy recommendations from the conference.
- Deepen our partnerships with international institutions to bring evidence-based models into the public health system.
- Institutionalize this conference as a regional hub for IECMH knowledge exchange.
- Build South Asia’s first WAIMH affiliate.
We are laying the groundwork for a generation of professionals, researchers, and caregivers who will lead from a place of science, empathy, and cultural relevance.
The outcomes of the Baby Matters Conference were unprecedented in scale and ambition.
The Baby Matters Conference is the beginning of a movement that symbolizes our shared commitment as ZERO TO THREE Fellows to build a world where we empower families, transform communities, and raise the village that raises the child; where we nurture every child so that they can achieve their divine potential.
This isn’t just about babies in Pakistan. It’s about what’s possible when we believe babies matters everywhere.
