The Global Campaign and Advocacy Director for charity Save the Children Patrick Watt attributed the dramatic global progress to widespread efforts to improve access to life-saving healthcare for some of the world's most vulnerable children. The report says that governments need to take urgent action to deliver health care and nutrition to every child if sustainable progress in coming years is to be realised. It calls for special attention to be paid to newborns as they are the most excluded when life-saving interventions are made. Mr Watt urges,"Every child has the right to survive, no matter where they are born. Donor countries and international organisations should also make sure no child dies for lack of resources."
The new data from UNICEF shows that over the past 20 years, around 90 million children were able to survive thanks to proven solutions and global and national efforts. The world is currently reducing under-five deaths faster than at any other time during the past two decades. The global annual rate of reduction in under 5 mortality has steadily accelerated from 1.7 percent in 1990-2000 to 3.8 percent in 2000-2012. Under 5 mortality has been almost halved, but despite this remarkable progress, 6.6 million children still died in 2012 mainly from preventable causes. That's a loss of around 18,000 children every day, 18,000 children who will never celebrate their fifth birthdays, never finish school, and never fulfill their dreams or realise their potential in the world. Newborn deaths now accounts for 44 per cent of all under five deaths in 2012 up from 37 percent in 1990. despite the knowledge of cost-effective solutions. Every year, one million babies die on the day they are born. Improving care during labour, birth and first hours of life will not only save babies, it will also save the lives of women and prevent stillbirths. According to the UNICEF data, Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East and North Africa are the only regions that have experienced a consistent acceleration in the pace of reducing under-five deaths since 1990. Since 2005, Sub-Saharan Africa has been reducing its rate of child mortality more than five times faster than during 1990-1995.