"Child survival is not only a human rights imperative, it is also a development imperative," said Joy Phumaphi, Vice President, Human Development Network at the World Bank. "Investing in the health of children and their mothers is a sound economic decision and one of the surest ways for a country to set its course towards a better future."
According to UNICEF almost 10 million children die before their fifth birthday every year, most of these deaths are from preventable causes. While some are celebrating that the global annual death toll is lower than ever before, others are continuing to fear for the mortality of children in several regions. The child mortality rates in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, remain high and the children in the region are in a constant state of vulnerability.
Yesterday marked the launch of The State of the World's Children Report 2008: Child Survival, in which UNICEF stated that; “The enormity of the challenge should not be under-estimated”. The report highlighted that at current we are failing to reach the Millennium Development Goals for 2015, which would mean lowering the number of under-five deaths from 9.7 million in 2006 to less than 5 million by 2015. At current the numbers are too high, and child mortality, while lower, is not nearly low enough! Millions of children remain far from the reach of health interventions, and in order to substantially lower the child mortality rate depended on reaching all of the health-related Millennium Development Goals, especially the reduction of poverty. However to decrease child mortality rates we must also improving maternal health, work eliminating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases, see that all children have access to proper sanitation and clean drinking water.
In a press release issued yesterday UNICEF stressed the grave need to increase programs and investment in children's health and poverty reduction around the world to ensure that a drop in child mortality worth celebrating is finally met in 2015.
“Stepping up investment in health systems will be crucial if we are to meet the child health targets set by the United Nations, but progress can be made even when health systems are weak," said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization. "Innovative programs in many countries show that an integrated approach where each child is reached with a package of interventions at one time can bring immediate benefits.”
If the children of today are to be the future of tomorrow, then we must look to reach these goals and beyond if they are to have a chance at life. We as a global society most work collectively to see that the progresses are made, and that children are truly born into this world with an equal and fighting chance at a future, for as it stands now we have given millions no such opportunity.
