Progress on child survival good but not good enough, says World Vision
New figures published today show a drop in the preventable deaths of children under the age of five, by 300,000 per year. But more than 6.3 million children still die, and it’s not good enough, says World Vision.
“The new numbers confirm that we are way off target to meet the Millennium Development Goal target to reduce child mortality by two thirds by 2015,” said Charles Badenoch, head of advocacy and justice for children at World Vision International.
“If countries continue at this pace, it is likely that the target governments committed to will not be reached until 2026 – 11 years behind schedule, and millions of deaths too late.”
A shocking 4 out of every 5 children who die under the age of five are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the report by UNICEF released today finds.
“The poorest and most vulnerable children – often the hardest to reach – are being left behind,” said Badenoch.
“Reaching them means making the right decisions over the coming year will, as decisions about what comes after the Millennium Development Goals are made.
“We have a long way to go but we believe it is still possible to get to zero preventable deaths, and we are urging leaders to stop at nothing to see that happen.”