Join us in renewing the world’s commitment to end preventable child deaths To advance Every Woman Every Child, a global movement launched by the United Nations Secretary-General, UNICEF and other United Nations agencies invite partners from the public and private sectors, civil society and relevant global alliances to unite around a clear and compelling goal: Ending preventable child deaths.
Much progress made, much yet to be done World leaders have been steadfast in their commitment to child survival and well-being – starting with the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in late 1989. In 1990, the global community united behind the World Summit for Children. A decade later, the Millennium Declaration and the adoption of the Millennium Development Goals positioned children at the centre of eight critical targets for human development. In 2002, the United Nations General Assembly passed a landmark resolution to build ‘A World Fit for Children.’ This sustained commitment has led to a decrease in child mortality that is unprecedented in human history. Over the past two decades alone, the number of under-five deaths has fallen dramatically, from more than 12 million in 1990 to 7.6 million in 2010.
Evidence shows that it is possible to decrease under-five mortality rates in developing countries to levels approaching those in wealthier countries. By pledging support for A Promise Renewed, we can accelerate declines in child and maternal mortality, enabling more countries to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 by 2015 and to sustain their progress well into the future.
But every year millions of children die from causes that we have the power to prevent – and diseases that we have the ability to treat. We have the technology, the know-how and the responsibility to fulfil our promise to give all children, rich and poor, a fair opportunity to survive and thrive. There is clear and compelling evidence that child mortality rates in developing countries can be reduced to levels approaching those in wealthier countries by focusing high-impact, cost-effective interventions on the children and families who need them most. The time has come to recommit to child survival and renew the promise to give every child the best possible start in life.
A Promise Renewed
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The global community has the opportunity to end preventable child deaths
Photos: Front cover: © UNICEF/NYHQ2011-1795/Pirozzi Infographic: © UNICEF/NYHQ2012-0156/Quarmyne Interior page: © UNICEF/NYHQ2006-2706/Noorani
www.apromiserenewed.org #Promise4Children
within one generation. This is an ambitious goal, but with the knowledge, technical expertise and innovative tools available today, it can be achieved.
Committing to Child Survival
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By pledging to support the goals of Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed, partners vow to redouble efforts to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 by 2015, to reduce under-five mortality in all countries to 20 or fewer under-five deaths per 1,000 live births by 2035, and to focus greater effort on reaching the most disadvantaged and hardest-to-reach children in every country. Evidence-based country plans: Governments will lead the effort to sharpen country action plans by setting and monitoring five-year milestones for maternal, newborn and child survival. Development partners will support country action plans, employing existing initiatives for maternal and child survival with an emphasis on national priorities. Transparency and mutual accountability: Governments and partners will work together to report progress and to promote accountability for the global commitments made on behalf of children. Using a standardized monitoring template, UNICEF and partners will collect and disseminate data on each country’s progress. Based on the indicators developed by the United Nations Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health, the global template is designed to be adapted by countries to address their own priorities. Each year, UNICEF and partners will release global progress reports to stimulate public dialogue and sustain the political commitment to child survival.
Renewing the Promise -
in every country, for every child Actual number of child deaths, 1990 and 2010
Projected number of child deaths if all countries sustain the current annual rate of decline in under-five mortality
Projected number of child deaths if all countries reach 20 or fewer under-five deaths per 1,000 live births by 2035
12
million under-five deaths
7.6
million under-five deaths
4.5
million under-five deaths at the annual rate of decline
Global communication and social mobilization: Governments and partners will mobilize broad-based social and political support for the goal of ending preventable child deaths. As part of this effort, the search for small-scale innovations that demonstrate strong potential for large-scale results will be intensified. Once identified, local innovations will be tested, made public, and taken to scale. By harnessing the power of mobile technology, civil society and the private sector can encourage private citizens, especially women and young people, to participate in the search for innovative approaches to maternal and child survival. UNICEF will host a small secretariat to support the efforts undertaken in support of A Promise Renewed.
2000−2010
2
million under-five deaths at an accelerated rate of decline
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Source: UNICEF analysis of United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation data, <www.childmortality.org>.
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035